Today we’d like to introduce you to Allanté Lynn.
Hi Allanté, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
After college, I drove with whatever I could fit in my Ford Explorer Sport down to Gainesville, GA. I had dreams of being an actress and I just knew I was going to get my start here, in Atlanta. I had a job as a Certified Nurses Aide so I wasn’t presented with a lot of opportunities to take time off for auditions. My dad came down to visit me in October and he saw Gainesville and then he saw Atlanta and he was like, “oh yea! I don’t know what you gotta do, but you gotta move.” So, I talked to my landlord and was able to break my lease to move to an apartment in Jonesboro. Almost immediately, I hurt my back on the job and was unable to properly do my job duties.
Uneducated to how Workmans Comp works or even what it was, I quit my job and decided to pursue acting full-time. I had a dream of living in a high-rise in Midtown. After three auditions, the Sheriff was at my door to evict me. I loaded up whatever could fit in my Toyota Camry and, humiliated and embarrassed, drove back to Virginia. I was sulking in my depression when my friend, Lorde, called and told me he got me a job as a cook in a barbecue restaurant. I had cooked for my professors, family and friends in college but never anything professional. Nervous is an understatement. I went to the interview and the manager, Kody, said, “this is really a formality. The job is yours.” I was there for less than a year before I had gained a following. People were only coming to the restaurant on my shift. It was then that I decided that I was not going to work in anyone else’s kitchen ever again.
I quit Sweet Baby’s and obtained a job in a call center. I remember wanting to cook Seafood Mac but I always make way too much so I decided to sell plates. I sold out of all of the Mac and didn’t even have any for myself. Everyone asked, “what are you cooking tomorrow?” And Allante’s Kitchen was born. In Hampton roads, VA there aren’t any places to eat after 10pm except maybe a bar or two. So, I started selling plates from 9pm-midnight from my father’s house. I tried to sell things you couldn’t get from a restaurant and people loved it. My parent’s friends, people I grew up with, people I didn’t know; everyone was blowing up my phone at night for a plate.
My business continued to grow and I relocated back to Atlanta, but I stopped selling plates from my house. I now cater events, small engagements and offer meal prep services. I even have people FaceTime me while they’re cooking so that I may walk them through the steps. Next year, I plan to offer weekly live videos where people can purchase the ingredients and we cook together on live.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The obstacle of being a caterer is finding reliable and good help. Money isn’t always the fix to that. I pay my helpers very well for their time but, last minute call-outs, tardiness, unprofessionalism all are parts that affect the outcome of a great service.
I also cater from my home so the space needed for preparing for large events is definitely a big deal. As I am a one-woman show, everything has to be planned down to the second to make sure things get cooked on time but also stay warm or cold.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As a Chef, I view curating my menu and presenting my food an art form. What sets me apart from all other chefs is my creativity. I will always look for, how can I cook this differently? What’s a cool way to plate this? Table decorations? Chafers? What will my staff wear? I’m the over the top, overthinking chef. But that’s part of why I’m so expensive. You don’t just pay for the food. You pay for my mind, my craft, and my artwork in how I am going to wow you and your guests.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Growing up, my dad was always the cook. My mom never wanted to cook anything nor learn how to. My favorite childhood memory was when my dad let me skip school so he could take me fishing. We went out to the pier and we stayed all day, just catching fish. Then he showed me how to clean the fish and that night, we cooked together and had fried fish with potatoes and onions.
From this, I learned the value of life itself. So many of us eat without any regard to the fact that another living thing had to give up its life so that we may have sustenance. I learned that on that pier. That fish did not want to die, but I don’t take for granted the live he lived and was released from in order to provide nutrients to my family.
I also learned the importance of fresh ingredients. We live in a world full of government control and meddling in our nutrition. But fresh and wild ingredients are so good for us. They are free from toxins and better for our bodies. When I cater, I choose to only use ingredients from a farmer’s market or butcher. These are people who raised their animals humanely and then butchered them and sold them fresh. as opposed to the grocery store swill that is sold to us for such a cheap price. I am all about quality in my business.
Pricing:
- Meal Prep Services Lunch Only for 5 days $100/week
- Meal Prep Services Dinner Only for 5 days $150/week
- Meal Prep Services Lunch, Dinner & Snacks for 5 days $250/week
- Catering for Large Events Start at $45/per plate
- Travel Fee outside of GA is $1,200
Contact Info:
- Website: www.allanteskitchen.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/allantes_kitchen
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBjpQkCpxsOC5nUoKXkOM_w
Image Credits
Biskit for the first three in the black chef coat, One Vision Studios for the beach pic
