Yes, anyone can make mac and cheese but when it comes to Chef Teach’s own recipe – you can forget the rest. The man behind Miami’s World Famous House of Mac is Derrick Turton, popularly known as Chef Teach. Before taking a leap of faith and pursuing his love for food, Turton served in the entertainment industry, working with artists such as Pitbull and A$AP Rocky. Constantly finding himself gravitating to the kitchen, he quickly turned his passion into something truly special. We caught up with Chef Teach recently to discuss his start in the world of food, the expansion of World Famous House of Mac, and much more!
Tell us how you got into the world of food.
I actually went to culinary school in 1998, but my first job in a restaurant was Red Lobster and I hated it. I started doing club promotions and record label productions. My first job at a record label was with Uncle Luke. The rest was history from there. I took off for the next 18 years doing music, but I always had a passion for food. I found it therapeutic, personally. I just didn’t like working in a kitchen or the pressure of a kitchen at the time. I would always find myself, even when doing music, gravitating towards the kitchen. It was a hobby that turned into something special.
What inspired the creation of The World Famous House of Mac?
When I did music, I did a lot of barbecues at my house. When we did it, it was when we were traveling. It was the only time we were able to get with family during this time. When we had these barbecues, I was mostly cooking. I was always so inspired by recipes. I would just test out new recipes without saying anything and people responded the most to the mac and cheese. The mac and cheese was always the first dish on the table gone. A friend of mine was opening a restaurant and he approached me about my popular mac and cheese. He wanted to buy the recipe. The afro on my logo is actually my father. He passed away in 2013, suddenly. That was part of the reason why I took a leap on this because when my father passed away, I kind of sat with him for a few hours and asked myself those tough questions. I wondered, if that was me checking out right now, what is my legacy? At that point, my life had just been contributing to building other people’s legacies. I didn’t focus on my own. There was only one thing I loved doing outside of music, and it was food. That was what inspired me.
You now deliver nationwide! Can you share with us how it has been being a businessman during this time of the ongoing pandemic?
I think the pandemic brought out the best and worst in people. The pandemic was the year of a pivot. COVID in general took a lot of people in general out of their comfort zone. That could be a good or bad thing. For us, it was definitely a good thing. Obviously, with COVID and social distancing, people weren’t really coming out. We had to get creative and figure out a way to get to people. I actually wanted to get on Gold Belly, which is a premier delivery service nationwide. I didn’t get a response, so I figured out how it worked, and we began shipping. It opened up a totally new revenue stream for us that didn’t exist before.
Do you plan on expanding The World Famous House of Mac to different cities?
We do. Right now, it’s about being able to maintain the consistency and the integrity in all that we’re doing. I want to grow at a rate that I can maintain the integrity of the brand.
What are you currently working on and what can we expect to see from you in the future?
We’re working on expansion – I have put in a couple of offers in a few different spots. Right now, we’re just working on perfecting our policy and procedures. We’re putting plans in place to be cautious. We’re talking to different manufacturers to get into supermarkets. This includes our mac and cheese as well as our lemonades. We’re looking at ways strategically and organically to grow the brand.
Tell us how you got into the world of food.
I actually went to culinary school in 1998, but my first job in a restaurant was Red Lobster and I hated it. I started doing club promotions and record label productions. My first job at a record label was with Uncle Luke. The rest was history from there. I took off for the next 18 years doing music, but I always had a passion for food. I found it therapeutic, personally. I just didn’t like working in a kitchen or the pressure of a kitchen at the time. I would always find myself, even when doing music, gravitating towards the kitchen. It was a hobby that turned into something special.
What inspired the creation of The World Famous House of Mac?
When I did music, I did a lot of barbecues at my house. When we did it, it was when we were traveling. It was the only time we were able to get with family during this time. When we had these barbecues, I was mostly cooking. I was always so inspired by recipes. I would just test out new recipes without saying anything and people responded the most to the mac and cheese. The mac and cheese was always the first dish on the table gone. A friend of mine was opening a restaurant and he approached me about my popular mac and cheese. He wanted to buy the recipe. The afro on my logo is actually my father. He passed away in 2013, suddenly. That was part of the reason why I took a leap on this because when my father passed away, I kind of sat with him for a few hours and asked myself those tough questions. I wondered, if that was me checking out right now, what is my legacy? At that point, my life had just been contributing to building other people’s legacies. I didn’t focus on my own. There was only one thing I loved doing outside of music, and it was food. That was what inspired me
You now deliver nationwide! Can you share with us how it has been being a businessman during this time of the ongoing pandemic?
I think the pandemic brought out the best and worst in people. The pandemic was the year of a pivot. COVID in general took a lot of people in general out of their comfort zone. That could be a good or bad thing. For us, it was definitely a good thing. Obviously, with COVID and social distancing, people weren’t really coming out. We had to get creative and figure out a way to get to people. I actually wanted to get on Gold Belly, which is a premier delivery service nationwide. I didn’t get a response, so I figured out how it worked, and we began shipping. It opened up a totally new revenue stream for us that didn’t exist before.
Do you plan on expanding The World Famous House of Mac to different cities?
We do. Right now, it’s about being able to maintain the consistency and the integrity in all that we’re doing. I want to grow at a rate that I can maintain the integrity of the brand.
What are you currently working on and what can we expect to see from you in the future?
We’re working on expansion – I have put in a couple of offers in a few different spots. Right now, we’re just working on perfecting our policy and procedures. We’re putting plans in place to be cautious. We’re talking to different manufacturers to get into supermarkets. This includes our mac and cheese as well as our lemonades. We’re looking at ways strategically and organically to grow the brand.
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