Chazemon Fenderson found it difficult to work a 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. job and improve the quality of her daughters’ lives. Of Bahamian descent, she started selling Caribbean-infused food in the back of her car and surprisingly earned $500 daily.
She no longer sells in the back of her car. Her catering business, Drinks OnMe305, gained popularity and in 2018 was invited to the Kitchen Incubator, one of Martin Luther King Economic Development Corp’s (MLK EDC) programs in Liberty City. MLK EDC is a nonprofit launched 50 years ago with the mission to revitalize the predominantly Black neighborhood.
The incubator allows startup food businesses to cook in the kitchen, which features several commercial fryers and stoves, at a nominal rental fee as new restaurateurs may struggle to afford a commercial kitchen because of the high cost, said the organization’s CEO and president Amina McNeil. Such a program was developed to allow chefs save money to later afford a brick-and-mortar, she added.
Earlier last month, Chairwoman and Miami District 5 Commissioner Christine King obtained a $200,000 grant from the city to help with maintaining the kitchen supplies, cover utilities, among other costs.
A Liberty City native and a Miami Northwestern Senior High graduate, Fenderson has big plans: launching a brunch brick-and-mortar in Liberty City within two years. Depending on the catering contract, Fenderson’s earnings now range from $1,000 to $5,000 daily.
The neighborhood lacks brunch spots, she said, adding that the goal is for people to be enthused about visiting Liberty City as much as they are about going to enjoy hookahs, drinks and R&B music in Midtown Miami.
Fenderson sells plates for $20, including lobster, salmon, lamb chops, rice, collard greens and mac and cheese to Liberty City residents.
Her mission is to provide higher-end, quality food at a low price because she’s paying a low rent at the incubator — about $75 a month.
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“That would be my way of giving to my community and putting my money back to my community,” she said.
In addition to Fenderson, three other restaurateurs share the kitchen space to cook. On a recent Friday, the entrepreneurs seemed to get along as they prepared meals.
Through the program, Fenderson said she gained first-hand experience on how to run a restaurant, including being a kitchen manager and hiring staff and obtaining her license.
“I’ve learned that business can be hard. The food business can be hard. You have uptime and downtime. You got to think that food is the most volatile business to have,” she said.
“Remember, the price of food goes up, down, up, down. And some days you make good money. Some days, you’re not making any money.”
She’s up cooking as early as 4 a.m. and runs a food truck. The meals are cooked at the incubator and then she sells them.
She has mainstream clients, such as cooking for the Miami Dolphins’ food relief program, which hires minority-owned restaurants to cook for underserved people, and the Tunsil Academy International in Liberty City. Fenderson will also be a vendor for the fourth year at world class racing, 2025 F1 Miami on May 2- 4.
The food relief program feeds people across Miami and the surrounding areas.
Fenderson said she became a household name because of the incubator.
But even with all the success, she’s still learning the ropes.
Chef consultant Jasper Smith is a celebrity chef whose clients include NBA’s Toronto Raptors player Immanuel Quickley and New York Knicks player Precious Achiuwa, also formerly of the Miami Heat.
Smith teaches Fenderson how to cook in masse.
“She learned how to process catering from 20 people to 2,000 people,” Smith said. “[Fenderson] has come a long way. She learned how to save money, be more cost efficient with employees and be more cost efficient with products.”
Fenderson recommends people not to listen to naysayers when starting a business.
“Don’t sit on it,” she said. “Do it.”
This story was originally published in the Liberty City Independent, a WLRN News partner.
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