Today we’d like to introduce you to Qwan Butts
Hi Qwan , thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My first love was always cooking. I used to watch shows like Rachel Ray, 30 Minute Meal; Paula Dean, and other shows on the cooking channel. But growing up in the hood, I thought cooking wasn’t a manly job. I started off as a welder and traveled around the world welding and taking a variety of contact welding jobs. As I got older, I saw more and more men cooking, which made me more confident to do what I loved. I got tired of inconsistent work and didn’t like always being on the road, so when I would come from welding jobs, I would cook for friends and family. I would cook and post on social media to sell plates, which always sold out. With a passion to be successful, I ventured into other projects, like trucking and buying land to flip. But I wasn’t passionate about those jobs, which led to them failing. While home, I was approached by a friend that offered me a location to cook out of, because she knew of my skills. It was a small location in my hometown that used to be owned by her late grandmother. I still wasn’t confident, but I prayed about it and decided to go back to my 1st love, cooking. I decided to take a leap and try cooking full-time. I figured if I’m really passionate about it, then I won’t fail at it.
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?
It hasn’t been a smooth road, because I didn’t know the first thing about the restaurant business. I think the hardest part is not coming from a business background or having a knowledge of business. So this entire process has been trial and error. I made money and lost money because I didn’t know how to structure my business, I just knew I loved to cook.
As you know, we’re big fans of The Crab Hut. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
My specialty is seafood. I make a homemade seafood sauce that I use in most of my dishes, which I plan to brand and sell in the near future. Traveling around the world helped me experience different foods and observe different cooking styles. I got to watch locals in Jamaica, cook dishes like red snapper and other dishes. These experiences helped me create my own style, by putting an urban feel on modern cuisine. I’m best known for my lobster and Philly Qrolls, my unique spin on egg rolls. I make a variety of pasta, which are also very popular. Come experience my shrimp pasta, lobster pasta, salmon pasta, or lamb chop pasta. I’m the most proud of myself for turning my dream into a reality and my restaurant being successful. I wanted to show my girls, and people of my community that you can be successful and do something positive, other than what they witness in the hood.
How do you think about luck?
I don’t believe in luck; I believe in hard work! My passion for cooking and hard work made my business a success.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tiktok.com/discover/the-crab-hut-milledgeville?lang=en
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dcrabhut/
- Other: https://www.doordash.com/store/the-crab-hut-milledgeville-26207343/?pickup=true&utm_campaign=gpa
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