Today we’d like to introduce you to Chef Q Buggs.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I originally started cooking in 2006. I took up a free culinary class for about a year. I won “top of the class” and was able to come back next semester and teach as a culinary assistant. Did well and end up running the program for a while. Moved on as a Food Services Director and started a class at another job I was working at. Both of these experiences/jobs were nonprofit. Children were offered free culinary experiences while using the food they produced to feed the homeless. The other were for Veterans. Finally left the homeless spectrum of the non-profit and started doing casework for another local non-profit and building houses for Habitat for Humanity. During that time, I catered for people I worked for. I made connections. When I stopped cooking for their non-profits or for a grant, I started cooking at their homes and for their friends and family. I loved it. I started catering for ten then 30, then hundreds. I started catering for baby showers, corporate events, and weddings.
When I left non-profit and stopped teaching, I reached out to a business owner whom we used to for job placement for the students. They hired me. I started working at a well-known establishment in GA, TWO and I kept going and moving up and on from there. During that time, I developed this hatred for restaurants. I left them altogether and vowed never to go back. I didn’t and haven’t returned since. Till this day, I still have no interest in working in nor owning a restaurant. I stay and improve my own company, my own brand, Infinite Catering Events, ICE. Fast forward to March of 2020, the beginning of social distancing and boredom. People still want to go, party, drink, have fun, most importantly, eat and have that fine dinning experience.
One day a friend called me up after what she say was the “biggest argument” between her and her partner ever. She needed to make-up and called me over to cook and serve them. It was a surprise, a surprise personal dinner for two. They made up. It was an emergency, I was there, ICE was there. In Case of Emergency, call us. I shared that experience via my social media outlets and from there Infinite Catering Events’ “Private Dinners” have taken off. I started cooking for 2 and 10, small parties. Tables are set up with cloth tablecloths, cloth napkins, silverware’s, wines, white plate services. People have fun, meetings, drink wine, and watch me cook all while enjoying the comfort of their home. I FELL IN LOVE with this. I have not been in love in a long time… with my business and now I am. I’ve longed for it, needed it. So now I am finding ways to make money in sleep and make my Personal Dinners, Brunches, and Lunches easier. So I created my own seasoning line. Which has taken off. Ice Spices. Land – a meat seasoning. Sea – a seafood seasoning. Ground – a vegetable seasoning. I’ve enjoyed the pictures, posts, and feedback from my followers and customers this far. While I am still actively enjoying and loving our “Personal Dinner” services, I am also falling in love with making products, selling products, and using my own products for my own creations. I have to figure how to make money in my sleep. Those products are helping me. I have one more thing I am working on and it’s close. It’s near. Stay tuned.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
No. Almost every day, every event, I fire myself. That’s why I am creating ways to make things easier. However, always anticipate the unexpected in catering, product being out, stoves not working, people being late, etc. Also, working other jobs to find my business and take care of my own living expenses and bills. It’s hard. I get tired. But I keep going.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Infinite Catering Events (ICE) came was born in a non-profit setting. I started cooking for and feeding the homeless first. Teaching. Then learning and teaching myself. You have to learn how to constantly learn and research. You have to keep up.
Can you talk about how you think about risk?
My biggest risk right now is working for others. I have to make sure I put the same time and energy into my own business as I do theirs. I take a risk by being busy and losing clients… But I am working on that.
Pricing:
- Private Dinners $175+
- Signature 24K Gold Wings $25+
- Weekend Getaway Catering $400+
- Chop and Pour $250+
Contact Info:
- Email: theinfinitechef@gmail.com
- Website: https://infinite-catering-events.square.site/
- Instagram: www.Instagram.com/InfiniteCateringEvents
- Facebook: www.Facebook.com/InfiniteCateringEvents
- Youtube: TheInfiniteChef
