Today we’d like to introduce you to Jake White.
Hi Jake, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I grew up in a big Italian family that loved cooking and eating food. So I was exposed to that sort of culture at an early age. My true story as a Chef, however, really begins around 2016 in Nashville, TN. I was between work (I had just left a job at a small record label) and just needed to make money, so I started working with a company called Flavor Catering. It’s a small company, so you get to know everyone quickly, including the owner, Jason. I looked up to Jason and the great folks that he hired. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do yet – but I knew I wanted it to feel as good as Flavor made me feel.
Eventually, it was time to move on, but I still didn’t quite know my path. I became a bread baker and a line cook, eventually opening up a Nashville bagel company called Darla’s Bagels. We sold fresh NY-style bagels to coffee shops around the city. When COVID hit, I was still in the early stages of building Darla’s Bagels. I didn’t have the financial backing or brand awareness to keep the business alive, so we closed the shop and moved to Charleston, SC.
In Charleston, I helped launch a new bar & grill concept on one of the barrier islands. Then I became a gardé manager & patisserie of a fine dining Italian concept, but no matter where I worked, I still longed for the work environment of Flavor Catering. Most of the kitchens I worked in prior were filled with highly toxic chefs & cooks. I knew that surely couldn’t be my Fate. I saw what a healthy kitchen environment looks like and wasn’t satisfied until I found it again.
Cane Bay Kitchen was a Hail Mary lob thrown deep downfield. I had grown tired of searching out a kitchen environment that wasn’t bad for my mental health – So I set out to create my own 5-star private chef service. I’m proud to say that Cane Bay Kitchen is the leading private chef company in the greater Charleston area. We specialize in locally sourced 3 & 4-course private dinners with a mission to spread knowledge on how to buy hyper-locally & hyper-seasonally. We want local economies to flourish while feeding our bodies the most nutrient-dense and delicious food the low country offers.
Now – I’m operating two main businesses under one umbrella:
- Cane Bay Kitchen, as stated, educates our guests on how to get out of the grocery store and into the farm for our food.
- The Crewneck Chef is a lifestyle apparel brand that encourages people to share & celebrate stories of triumph and tribulation. Each of our sweatshirts says “Do Hard Things” on the sleeve to remind the wearer that you can accomplish anything you want.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth road but a worthwhile one. I was born to very young parents who moved me around as a child. Some of the resulting trauma has led to serious mental health issues I now face daily. I constantly battle with depression and anxiety I seek treatment for. Around 2019-2020, I worked for Vanderbilt University as a dining hall manager while building Darla’s Bagels. My confidence and self-worth were at an all-time low, and I became suicidal. I had a near-attempt on my life that I thankfully talked myself out of. Since that moment, I’ve been working very hard to overcome this disease and am proud to say I’m better than I’ve ever been.
In March 2023, my father decided to take his life. He left behind my mom, myself, and my three siblings. Mental health has always been a struggle in my family. I hope to use crewneck chef as a platform to raise awareness around mental health issues in hopes that other families can be spared of similar tragedies besides the topic of mental health is so prevalent in my personal life. It’s a huge factor in kitchen settings too. As stated in previous answers, I also had to deal with many toxic people in the restaurant environment. I’m hoping we can make a difference for people!
Let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Cane Bay Kitchen specializes in 3 & 4-course plated dinners performed privately in our guest’s homes. We come to you for all services and design menus in Italian fusion, Mediterranean fusion, and Southern Fusion. We will design menus for you based on what is hyper-local and hyper-seasonal during your event. Then we’ll design custom menus with a personalized message and set the table so you forget you’re eating at home and not a fine-dining establishment. We build strong relationships with our vendors, so they always give us the freshest ingredients the low country offers.
What makes us different, however, is how much face time our clients have with the Chef. Chef will take his time to explain what each course is as he presents it to the table. Chef loves to talk about the ingredients’ seasonality, the farm they came from, and how it was prepared. We take care of all the set-up and tear-down, so you must ensure you have your favorite bottle of wine ready!
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Just be honest and vulnerable. If you’re going to someone for advice – don’t shy away from what they say, even if it isn’t what you want to hear. Don’t get discouraged at the “No’s.” Most people don’t want to say no to you, but time is our most precious commodity, so we’re all trying to use it wisely. It’s ok to follow up weeks later after receiving a no. Being persistent shows, you’re determined to prove you’re serious. Teetering the line between being persistent and annoying is tough, though, and you certainly want to avoid coming across as annoying, so tread lightly!
Pricing:
- 3-course dinners start at $100/person
- 4-course dinners start at $150/person
Contact Info:
- Website: canebaykitchen.com
- Instagram: canebaykitchen
Image Credits
Sophia Evelyn Photography and Zing Zheng Photography
