MADE Maven Special Women's Issue April 2018 | Page 24

MADEFEATURES
MADE: How did you know that entrepre-
neurship was the right move for you?
AC: For me, I don’t think the intention
was to ever become a big entrepreneur,
it was always to pursue passion and with
that came everything else. It was a natural
progression that has just happened over
time with a lot of hard work. I really love my
job and I love making people happy through
food and the rest just kind of follows
through. Entrepreneurship is the product of
me following my passion.
AC: You know what, it’s
still really hard. I’ve gotten a
little bit of training. I did a very
short program back in 2012 and
nothing like the caliber of chefs
I’ve been in a room with. That’s
always been hard for me. I’d
be lying if I said I’m completely
comfortable with it now. It’s still
something I struggle with—feel-
ing like you aren’t supposed to
be somewhere, it’s hard. And,
MADE: From the outside looking in, your
journey in entrepreneurship seems seam-
less. You wrote a cookbook and then you
had a show on the Food Network—how did
you develop such a strong acumen?
AC : It’s all been such a whirlwind, but
for me, I’ve always been the person to fill a
gap. There was a void in the food market for
somebody who looks like me—when I was a
little girl, there was nobody like me I could
look up to and say, “She looks like me and
she’s on the Food Network. She cooks for
her family and that’s really cool.” [So I decid-
ed] I’ll fill the void. It’s been a whirlwind and
it’s been really fast, but it all has made sense.
I encourage families to communicate with
each other and I feel food is a great vessel
for that because everyone has to eat.
Growing up, the moments around the din-
ner table is where I built strong relationships
with my family whether it’s with my family,
siblings or friends. I think communication
and a strong family foundation aid in some-
one’s growth to become a good person and
a hard working person. If I can encourage
one family to say, “We’re not going to eat
out tonight” or “Let’s cook together and sit
down at the table a