Ever since I began cooking professionally (2013), my writing has had to take a back seat. Commercial cooking is labor intense, time consuming and tiresome. With the launch of my new brand and website, I've pretty much backed myself into a corner. I made it so that I have to exercise all that I claim; The food. The good health aspect. The blog (this blog). The DJin'g. The poetry. The sales/marketing. etc. All of the fore-mentioned must be done in order to successfully represent my brand. So here goes... Welcome to my blog. My name is Chef Craig and I'm the head Chef/owner of Disco Kitchen, Inc.
Although writing, performance and recitation for presentation are very vulnerable labors of love, I've found cooking for the public to be that same vulnerable times 10 yet I love it! I live to display my talents and have been doing it for most of my life. It's not for the faint of heart nor the hyper sensitive. You gotta be fearless, relentless, shameless and bold. Tough skin is the main requirement to be relatively successful at any of the latter. And just like any other thing in life, "practice makes perfect" and when I say "perfect", I mean the maximum of your ability in the present time. Maximum ability in respect to time is hardly finite yet ever changing and evolving for the better or the worse, depending on one's practices or lack thereof.
Disco Kitchen, Inc. is my new baby. Well, this baby is like a toddler as I first conceived the cooking aspect of the brand in culinary school. My whole degree was based on putting together a concept in the food industry. The food industry is vast, broad and roomy. The dynamics that make up this industry are close to limitless. Let me humble myself by saying that it "ain't" rocket science. Men and women have been cooking and feeding the people since the beginning of time. However, now that it has become more and more popular to eat out, the competition is fierce and to a great extent. Technology and all of its functions of convenience and inclusivity has only heightened the numbers of those one must stand out amongst. In the middle of a global pandemic, innovation and "outside of the box" thinking has deemed to be "King".
So Craig: how do you distinguish your brand of food without diverting from the primary purpose (which is to sell extremely flavorful, healthy food)? How do you authentically grab the attention of your target market without coming off gimmicky? Why "Disco" Kitchen? You don't have a physical location open to the public; How and where will you present your products? More importantly, how do you maneuver the post pandemic monkey wrench?
I'm glad you asked because this is the juncture where I will attempt to fuse a whole life of experiences, talents, work and innovation in a collaborative effort to market, produce and distribute my full product which includes but not limited to food and entertainment. Distinguishing my food isn't as simple as it may sound. Outside of the new restrictions due to the pandemic, I'm African-American; A descendant of slaves in America. The food(s) that are attached to my culture and heritage are hardly healthy and were eaten only as a means of survival. Therefore, using the good sense that God gave me via history and independent study of my people, I'm making an effort to end the enormously vital and most direct of all generational curses; "What we eat" VS "What I cook". I had to look outside of my own culture and into other cultures of the African Diaspora to actually find out what ingredients are used and the healthiest techniques to produce these foods. Culinary school really opened me up to different ingredients and most importantly, the different techniques that are used to cook these foods. Slavery is the biggest oxymoron in all of history. The cooking techniques that I speak of were mostly created and executed by Slaves, Native Americans and West Africans. However, what the slaves were actually permitted to eat did not reflect what they knew nor what they actually taught. My goal and primary purpose as a cook is to produce healthy food with extreme flavor.
Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, horns, electric piano, synthesizers, and electric rhythm guitars. (wikipedia).
Whether the above definition is absolutely correct or not, I absolutely identify with the "subculture that emerged in the 1970s..." mainly because I am a part of that subculture by default. For one, I lived through the whole Disco era from beginning to end. Secondly, I'm a native Chicagoan, living in the birth place of "House Music", the direct descendant of Disco music. The very essence of "Disco Kitchen" is based upon the fact that the music and culture itself has been a part of my whole existence. There was never a time in my life that i couldn't reference a Disco or a House music song. What I'm truly implying is that my generation has been alive for no less than 51 years. For most of us, our health is becoming more and more of a priority. Hence, "Healthy Food. Extreme Flavor." For this being the first/somewhat of an introductory blog, I'm gonna leave it like this. Disco Kitchen, Inc. is dedicated to solving the problem of bad eating habits, aging and deteriorating health by offering healthy eating options and motivation to "Move your body".
Thanks for taking the time to read. I would truly appreciate your comments, likes and shares. Also, below are my main products as of now. "Healthy Meal Prep" begins on Saturday, 10/16/2021 and i still have a few slots open. Contact me no later than Wednesday, 10/13/2021 and I may be able to squeeze you in if you're in the Chicagoland area. "Saturday Soup/Salad" will continue until the people say, "No more"!
Stay tuned for more blogs, more food and definitely more Disco. We've just begun and I give you my word that I will put out a new blog every Sunday to keep you up to date with what we are doing. P.S. I'm just learning WIX and I'm learning the many things that I can do here so bear with me as I grow and improve.
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