Check Out Leniesia Dorestant’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Leniesia Dorestant.

Hi Leniesia, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Since childhood I’ve always had an excitement for anything I could prepare and eat – a true foodie 😆. In my teen years I participated in culinary classes at school, and my evenings consisted of watching Emeril and Rachel Ray. I looked up to them and desired to have my own cooking show one day! Fast forward to Covid, in 2021 I decided to take a leap of faith and invest in myself by establishing my catering business DOMO’S Exquisite Cuisine! Family, friends, and strangers have always told me for years how much they enjoy indulging into my food, so I figured why not do what I love and make income as well! I’ve been in business almost 4 years now and I still love seeing the happy dances that can’t be contained when my clients taste my cuisine.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely hasn’t been smooth sailing. Launching during Covid was a huge task in itself due to consumer concerns about cleanliness. However, by taking all the necessary protocols, people still entrusted us to prepare their food with care and love. Another obstacle was being new to the entrepreneur world and learning the legalities of simply running a business. Cooking is the fun part, but there’s so much more to running a business than that. Specifically for catering, there’s finding a licensed kitchen to cook out of, there’s purchasing all of your equipment and making sure it’s food grade standard, there’s creating a website which is a beast in itself when you’re starting from scratch, making sure you have the necessary and required licensing and insurance, and there’s also other overhead charges and taxes you have to make sure you’re in compliance with. I would say the legal part of the business has been most challenging for me but by having an amazing mentor to guide me through the process, it has lightened the load.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Cooking is an art. It allows one to express themselves through food. Each chefs style of cooking is very unique to that individual. I specialize in Eclectic Caribbean Cuisine, however, I love preparing all cultural meals – from Asian, to southern comfort, to Cajun-creole. I would like to say that I’m known for my Gouda Mac n’ Cheese, Caribbean Oxtails, and Curried Goat. My services are more personalized and intimate based. A couple of my favorite services I offer are my cooking classes and my Brunches. I’m proud of the endurance and persistence that I continuously put into my business. There are a lot of long nights at times, menu planning or prepping but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. When you know you have a purpose and you learn to perfect your craft, there’s a certain level of confidence you gain that no one can take away from you! What sets me apart from others is…ME. You can hire any chef, but they won’t be me. YOU sell your business before your food does. People invest in YOU before they invest in what you have to offer, and by always being me – a loving, joyful, honest, and respectful person – that’s why people choose DOMO’s. When you have a solid foundation as a person, meaning mind, body, and soul, people can tell and you will attract what you put out. Just be authentic and everything will be just fine.

So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
I love collaborating with other small business owners and artists! One way would be to send an inquiry form through my website or simply reach out via email or phone and we can chat about it. Supporting me is more than just monetary. Supporting could simply mean, resharing my content, leaving me a 5 star review, or telling someone else about my services. Referrals are the best business because they’ve had someone to vouch for my services and there’s a different level of excitement they anticipate.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.domosexquisitecuisine.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/domosexquisitecuisine?igsh=ZXNzcmtkOG1waWtv&utm_source=qr