Life & Work with Corey Glover

Today we’d like to introduce you to Corey Glover.

Hi Corey, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My journey to discovering food and cooking isn’t an elaborate one, to say the least. I’ve never cooked in any world-class kitchens. I never worked under a world-renowned chef (I wish), nor had any classical training of any sort. I never intended nor had any plans on becoming a personal chef growing up. I thought, I would become a football player, or follow in the footsteps of my father and brother to become an electrician.

Anything other than a chef; infact, it was one of many things I never thought of becoming. But I always loved food. Who doesn’t?! Like many kids growing up in the south soul food was and remains the staple cuisine and sitting at the table amongst family and friends was the best time, especially every Sunday. I have fond memories of sitting at the table with my family enjoying my grandmother’s cooking. As I got older, I would stand alongside her and she would teach me how to fry chicken, make pot roast, roux for gravy, bake pound cakes, make homemade biscuits, and many other things. In her kitchen, I learned how to cook but didn’t think anything of it at the time. During undergrad, I would make pound cakes out of my parent’s kitchen for extra cash and just for fun for the family to try.

Baking cakes eventually sparked my fling for cooking… and now I hate baking, haha. Over time, I visited different restaurants, tried various cuisines, and enjoyed eclectic food through my travels. I always envisioned my interpretation of dishes I loved and would try to recreate them but failed many times. What a waste of money one would say but through those trials and errors, I’ve learned many valuable lessons. I eventually began to cook, plate dishes, and post them on social media which eventually led to a co-worker asking me to cook for her mother’s birthday. I was very hesitant because I didn’t want to ruin her mother’s birthday dinner and embarrass myself; fortunately, it turned out well!

Though I made little to nothing the experience was worth it! I’ve cooked from time to time throughout the years and eventually started my personal chef business called SIFTandSEASON in 2018. For the past 3 years, I’ve been really enjoying cooking and passionately serving people and with humility. I still work full-time at the moment and cook on weekends. Eventually, I would love to “jump” into a career full-time as a personal chef because that’s where my heart lies. I wake up, work, come home, and dream about food because it’s what I love doing. The kitchen is where I belong and it’s a gift I want to share with the world.

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?
The greatest challenge for me and still is learning how to attract the ideal clients and build a lucrative business. I’ve cooked for some amazing people and created ‘super fans’ over time, but what I envision is far from where I want to be.

Eventually, I believe I would get there but I’m still learning through the guidance of my mentor, friends, and other colleagues I’ve met in the industry. I also struggle with leaving a job that allows me to support and take care of my family. The uncertainty and fear of being unable to financially support my family should scare any husband and father I would assume.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I work full-time as a COTA (Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant) at a nursing home. My job descriptions are to implement functional and therapeutic activities/exercises, monitor patients’ progress, operate equipment, and improve patients’ everyday quality of life to return their home and environment safe.

On the weekends, I work as a personal chef. I’m most proud of my eclectic style of cooking. It has no boundaries; therefore, I have no signature dish because I’m always striving to make the next best thing. I never cook the same thing twice for each client unless a specific dish is requested, which is rare.

This has given me the freedom to be creative as I want and I thank GOD that the clients I’ve attracted have an open mind to try new and exciting things.

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
In life, in some capacity or other we’re all serving people. Whether you’re at that job or running a small business do it in the spirit of servitude, with passion and humility. Majority of the time people don’t care how good you are or how much experience you have.

They really want to know how much you care. That’s what really matters and it’s so much easier to do your job when you have the trust of that person(s). Then you began to build value which is vitally important for you and your business.

Contact Info:

• Email: siftandseason@gmail.com
• Website: www.siftandseason.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/siftandseason/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SiftandSeasonLLC
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/siftandseason-lexington

Image Credits
TaMyia Allen photography