Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniel-Isaiah Graves.
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?
Cooking isn’t my story. Skylar-Chanel is the story behind “Spodee”. I’ve been cooking all my life. I learned this gift through a gift within the family. Back in grade school, my focus was only on becoming the best athlete out of “Kings Row”. A neighborhood full of legends off of Wesley Chapel & Kelly Chapel outside of SWD high school.
My grandfather cooked a hot meal for every child in the house every day like clockwork. Understand me, took me & the girls to practice, & school, afterward we all sit at the table & do homework. While we learning at the table, I’m asking questions like we didn’t just leave the school house. Granddad cooking his ass off so that we can have a hot meal. As he cooks I’ll ask questions like “What you just sprinkle?” “What’s that called?” “Can I taste it after you do that seasoning on there?” Sh*t that molded me into the chef I am today.
How me even taking this cooking sh*t serous was really wanting to be able to feed my little three years old. Two years ago I was fresh out of San Bernardino County Jail in San Bernardino California. I left and came home to Atlanta seeking work to take care of my little girl. Work wasn’t hard to find yet, I always wanted more & always tried to seek what I could obtain. I had a home girl that had snow crabs on ice. I want to say about 100lbs because her man at the time was a truck driver & they had so much seafood they was giving the workers food just because. Geeesssshhhh. The idea came to cook crab boils. Cheapest crab boils in the street. Started hitting clubs, celebs started to come out of nowhere…….
Then after cooking one day I had counted around 5 thousand in cash. Blew me away. Then I realized this was my calling. The more I cooked it wasn’t about the money, it was the fact I can do ANYTHING for my family & lift them. That meant more to me than a bankroll, because at the end of the day my only dream in this life was to be able to make my family proud & be able to take care of them ALL. Not some ALL!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My biggest challenge is not being able to have my little girl with me all the time. With traveling with private cheffing, and touring with clients it gets hard because of her age. Just having a career that has you on the road & travel is difficult. Me & my woman are the most perfect team but I do miss being able to take out the trash, clean the house, hold her the times she’s not on the road with me or not being able to pull up on my mom like I did in high school. She’s getting older yet, all n all to make it simple it’s the BALANCE this hard.
What matters most to you? Why?
The only thing that matters in my walk is showing love. With love comes understanding.
With love comes peace.
With love comes love. . .
& if I died today let my daughter know that everything about her father was PURE
Contact Info:
- Website: Chefspodee.org
- Instagram: @Mr.Spodee
