Conversations with the Inspiring Keena Wells

Today we’d like to introduce you to Keena Wells.

Keena, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I am from a small town in Mississippi with a big heart! I moved with my grandparents as a child to Holly Springs, MS. I grew up in a close family with my mother close, grandparents, and two siblings in the household. I was always dedicated to achieving greatness. I was recognized as the Salutatorian of my 8th-grade class and went on to graduate high school while being active in many organizations. I had my eyes set on leaving a print on society.

I met my husband in college and we’ve been married 20 years. I am married to Celebrity Chef Jernard Wells, who is known as  “The Chef of Love!” I am deemed as “The Wife of Love” occasionally! We have nine children.

My husband decided early in our marriage he wanted to go to a culinary arts school and I decided to find a job in the area of my degree, Computer Science. That feat was difficult as it was during a time where these type of positions were few, far, and inbetween for females in my hometown. I took my 1st corporate position in HR as a contractor doing HTML coding for job boards before technology advanced to what it is today. I was hired full-time within a few months and promoted three times in less than a year to a Senior HR Consultant. I haven’t looked back. I immediately connected with my new career and developed a passion for HR.

I have built a successful career in Human Resources that spans over 17 years,  Co-Authored a Cookbook, as well as worked as a business partner with my husband building our family’s image and business. I maintain working full-time as a Senior Recruiter with a prominent, top healthcare company while helping support my husband in his celebrity entertainment career in my spare time. I love my career, my family, and my life! When I’m not recruiting too talent, I can be seen cooking with my husband at many of his celebrity food experiences and on some of Chef Jernard’s weekly cooking videos on his social media platforms.

I frequently travel with my husband. I sometimes appear along side of him as his sous chef in the kitchen. We decided to build a family business and I am just one of many of the key contributors to keeping the “Chef of Love Experience” thriving.

Marrying early, I was determined to have a family as well as a career.My husband & I opened our first restaurant in Holly Springs, MS, later to have six additional restaurants we have owned or been key contributors in starting. During the initial planning and start-ups, I worked both my full-time job and in the restaurants often having the kids there with us. It was difficult but worth it. It led us to Atlanta for a huge restaurant adventure that my husband was a key part of. It was the beginning of great opportunities and elevation in our careers.

I mastered my determination to beat the odds early in life. I completed my Bachelor’s degree as well as completed my Master’s degree in Human Resource Management while working full-time as a Senior Recruiter and raising our children at home. I remember my manager at the time I decided to pursue my Master’s, asking me why did I need a Master’s degree and discouraging me from obtaining it! She gave examples of taking the focus away from my job and family. It’s a good thing that I didn’t listen! That made me work even harder to reach my goals. I now can tell my children not to give up regardless of what people say! I remind them that if I can do it, so can they. They can accomplish anything they set out and believe that they can do.

I am often seen trying to juggle and manage my career, family and the family business. I have had the opportunity to appear on “Food Network Star” “Pickler and Ben” and other shows alongside my husband Jernard. I travel with him to assist with things like being a commentator, brand his social media, and record many of his celebrity appearances to share with his fans. More than anything, I’m there to keep supporting him. We love doing this as a family! Jernard always talks about his family and makes sure to incorporate us into his world. We take our children along sometimes too to help see all of the great opportunities in the world and to see how hard we work as parents to make sure they are cared for and are awarded opportunities to develop their own successful careers.

Great, 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‘s definitely not been easy on me maintaining a busy work life, parenting, all while being the wife of a celebrity chef. There are times when I have the kids and I’m pulled in 50 different directions. I struggled with getting everything done. There are other times when I am so hard on myself I feel I’ve failed everyone. Then, there are those times when I realize I need self-care. I’m so busy focusing on everyone else, I forget to take a moment to celebrate all of the great things that I’ve accomplished and realize I need to regroup and spend some time celebrating me and my wins.

I’ve had to overcome many challenges on this path to having a successful Human Resources career. I’ve encountered being overlooked, under appreciated, and just not being welcomed to the table. I’ve often been made to feel as though I didn’t belong or treated as if I was a token. I’ve had to fight for promotions and just to be treated as equal to my peers.  That was tough, but I knew I was made for it. Whenever I was made to feel undervalued or not worthy of my place in corporate America, I worked even harder to demand the respect that I know I deserved. I started letting my work speak for itself. I also experienced many doubting that I could work and raise a large family. Was it easy, No, but I knew it was possible. I fought to make people see me outside of being a mother of 9 or as incompetent because of my color or anything else.

I have always loved helping others. I find great pleasure in knowing that I add value in opinion. I love helping companies locate and retain top talent! I love helping job seekers find career opportunities that they may never have been considered for. I love knowing that I’m changing lives. I’m matching talent to opportunity. I try to make sure that my contribution to an organization’s success will not go unnoticed.

I also love working with and watching my husband reach all of his dreams! I’m by his side witnessing him break down doors and making himself a household name while changing the world one bite at a time! I have encountered many “No’s” with him too. We’ve been told so many times we weren’t ready in our careers. We’ve been told we weren’t exactly what they are looking for! I’m here to say, “We ARE!” If you know that this is where you are supposed to be and what you are supposed to be doing, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. I build off of  the negative comments and discouragement.

I’m proud of being able to look back and say that I’ve helped people and in many instances more than those that have helped me climb the corporate ladder! I don’t do it for praise, but I realize that sometimes you just have to reach back and pull someone up. I don’t discourage anyone from going after what you believe in. Do it, even when it seems like it’s impossible!

I recommend to anyone starting out on the journey to live out your dreams to try to set and reach your goals daily, forget yearly. Set goals where you can have small wins! Take some time to celebrate you at the moment right where you are. You still may have so much to do and so far to go, but if you look closely, you have something you can celebrate right now! Again, my motto is L.I.V.E. (LIVE IN VICTORY EVERY DAY).

What should we know about Haute Cuisine, LLC.? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Haute Cuisine is a manufacturing company that my husband and I built together. We manufacture gourmet sauces, seasonings, and other products locally. These sauces are carried in over 600 stores and businesses such as Whole Foods, Winn-Dixie, and Bi-Lo.  Haute Cuisine has also has helped to manufacture products for other companies and individuals globally and helped to formalize and produce individual sauce and seasoning brands. We are different because we work with you individually to formalize your recipe and help make sure your products are natural, healthy, and can be sold in stores like Whole Foods and other Farmers Markets. Haute Cuisine gives you a professional and personal experSince. Chef Jernard makes sure he puts “Love” in Every bottle!

Looking back on your childhood, what experiences do you feel played an important role in shaping the person you grew up to be?
I grew up in the home with my grandmother and grandfather. My mother lived in Chicago until my senior year of high school. My siblings and I lived in Mississippi with my grandparents and was cared for by two parents in the household. This was important since my mom worked so hard.  One thing I noticed early was that every award program, every birthday, every holiday, and every major event in my life, my mother was present regardless. I realized that she worked so hard to provide for my siblings and I, but made sure she was there for the important things in life we’d remember. My mother taught us early the values of having a good honest work ethic. My mom has had perfect attendance at work for as long as as I could remember, but she also had perfect attendance with her kids as well. She instilled values of honesty, dedication, and being present in the moment. We wanted for nothing. She displayed early that although working and living in another state, priorities came back to our family.

My father was very instrumental in my life as well. Co-parenting can be difficult, but Love covers all! I loved spending time with my father and siblings on my dad’s side. He too was a hard worker and although we didn’t live in the same home, he was dedicated to ensuring I knew he loved me just the same.

These things helped shaped and mold how I viewed life and how I set the goals for myself. I was determined to teach my children that no matter what obstacles may present themselves, you can overcome them. Never stop believing. This made me commit to having a healthy marriage and raising my kids in a two-parent home. This also made me commit to reaching for everything I wanted in life. I wanted a successful, healthy family and a career that offered stability and work/life balance. I have both today and I’m grateful for the foundation that kept me grounded in my beliefs to accomplish that and more.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://hautecuisinechatt.com/
• Email: keenaw1006@gmail.com
• Instagram: @keena1031
• Facebook: @KeenaWells
• Twitter: @keena1031
• Other: @chefjernard

Image Credit:
Jernard Wells, Josephine White, Carlos Scott

Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.