Growing up, I was obsessed with cupcakes. In the sixth grade, this obsession turned into a passion for baking. At first, baking was a hobby but then it turned into much more. After taking a high school summer entrepreneurship course and gaining the support of community leaders, I founded my cupcake business, Golden Cupcakes. The namesake of “Golden” came from the many accomplishments I have achieved and have yet to achieve. As a young entrepreneur showcasing my cupcakes at local events and fulfilling catering orders, I gained exposure to the areas of food production, food cost and inventory, marketing, and customer service all before starting a course of study. These experiences set the foundation for my initial interest in pursuing a career as an entrepreneur in the foodservice and hospitality industry. I will always feel immense gratification and satisfaction from creating products and serving others. While I had fun turning my hobby into a business, I was oblivious to the severities of the food business, one topic being food access. I had always made the observation that other neighborhoods had more nutritious options in regard to restaurants and grocery stores than mines. Usually, these neighborhoods were more affluent and not predominantly Black. While I come from a middle-class household, others in my area do not have the ability to travel and obtain healthier options. Moreover, long-term consumption of low nutritional foods highly contributes to high rates of diet-related health conditions, such as diabetes and hypertension, in the Black community. I was never fully conscious of issues until I was affected. After I was diagnosed with hypertension and chronic kidney disease at eighteen, I found my next mission in life: to revolutionize the fast-food industry with a low sodium initiative and promote nutritional education and food access in underprivileged communities. As a restaurateur, I want to make a positive impact in this industry. Through my restaurant offerings, I want to revolutionize the fast food industry with a focus on low sodium and plant-based options. I would like to create food access in the inner city to improve nutrition offerings and curb the number of people who grow to have diabetes, hypertension, and other chronic diet-related ailments. I want to develop and partner with others to place affordable low sodium frozen and fresh foods in grocery stores and foodservice pipelines. For me, joining the restaurant industry is not just about making good food to be enjoyed but it is about changing the way we live and the future of health.

When I was six years old, I decided I wanted to become a dentist when I grew up. Unlike other children, I loved going to the dentist. I would be intrigued by the machinery and x-ray, amazed about teeth structure, and of course, excited for the free goodies. Overall, I think I wanted to become a dentist to help children with abnormalities, like myself, to have perfect smiles. While dentistry was not the career path I chose, the desire to help others excel has always been at my core which is why I decided to pursue an education in hospitality management. I initially chose to pursue this field to become a small business owner. Alongside the dentist, ironically, my other obsession has been with cupcakes which developed into a passion for baking. Before my freshman year of high school, with the guidance and sponsorship of community leaders, I founded my cupcake business, Golden Cupcakes. The namesake of “Golden” came from the many accomplishments I have achieved and have yet to achieve. As a young entrepreneur showcasing my cupcakes at local events and fulfilling catering orders, I discovered the areas of food production, food cost and inventory, marketing, and customer service all before starting a course of study. For the past seven years, I have felt immense gratification from creating products for others. While I had fun turning my hobby into a business, I was oblivious to the severities of the food business, one topic being food access. I had always made the observation that other neighborhoods had more nutritious options in regard to restaurants and grocery stores than mines. Usually these neighborhoods were more affluent and not predominantly Black. While I come from a middle class household, others in my area do not have the ability to travel and obtain healthier options. Moreover, long-term consumption of low nutritional foods highly contributes to high rates of diet-related health conditions, such as diabetes and hypertension, in the Black community. I was never fully conscious of issues until I was affected. After I was diagnosed with hypertension and chronic kidney disease at eighteen, I found my next mission in life: to revolutionize the fast food industry with a low sodium initiative and promote nutritional education and food access in underprivileged communities. Through my restaurant offerings, I want to revolutionize the fast food industry with a focus on low sodium and plant-based options. I would like to create food access in the inner city to improve nutrition offerings and curb the number of people who grow to have diabetes, hypertension, and other chronic diet-related ailments. I want to develop and partner with others to place affordable low sodium frozen and fresh foods in grocery stores and foodservice pipelines. For me, joining the hospitality industry is not just about making good food to be enjoyed but it is about changing the way we live and the future of health.