Conversations with Miles Stokes

Today we’d like to introduce you to Miles Stokes.

Hi Miles, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
It all started off in Chicago, Illinois. My mother was a special education teacher, and some years she was a principal so her time was mostly consumed by her love of educating the youth, and I did what I could to help out. I would watch her cook meals after a long day and would pick up on small details as time went on.

Then food network happened. Seeing the likes of Emeril and Rachel Ray opened my eyes to the possibility of creating beautiful dishes for people but actually being able to pay bills off of them. Then pops introduced me to Jamaican jerk seasoning, and I haven’t looked back since! I traveled to Tennessee for education at Tennessee State University but I ended up leaving with so much more. I left with the confidence that I could create dishes for anyone, and I also left with a huge support system of friends and brothers.

After a few years of criminal justice jobs, I found a small pocket of happiness with being able to instruct children on how to create dishes for anyone and that has led me to Black Bourbon Kitchen.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road has been anything but smooth, to be honest, lol. My fear of failure and potential poverty kept me from pursuing my dreams for years. I had convinced myself that maybe cooking was just a hobby for me.

I was unsure if I would be able to turn my dreams into money so I shunned them away. I stuck to my major from college and worked multiple jobs in that field and it was a very draining experience. Sundays soon became the only highlight of my week because I would have Sunday dinner at my apartment and friends would come over for fellowship and food.

One day my best friend told me that I should start taking my cooking very seriously and even start selling it. I was not convinced that it would work but he persisted and it looks like he was right.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Right now, I am currently a staff member of the administration department of a middle school. The ultimate goal from this is to be able to host a home economics course and teach these wonderful children about culinary excellence, but for now, I am a disciplinarian. Lol. I never thought I would be working in a school system because my mom was an educator but I guess we do all mirror our parents eventually.

The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
The pandemic has taught me that if there is one thing that people will do, it’s buying food. I kicked off Black Bourbon Kitchen in February 2020 and Covid kicked everyone in March 2020, so my timing seemed like the worst.

Soon, we were asked to stop attending work and eventually were laid off, I had nothing but Black Bourbon Kitchen and time. The plates, catering, and promotion carried me through the rest of that year.

I learned in 2020 that there is a time for everything, and I was right on time for my first step into my dreams.

Pricing:

• Our plates range in cost from $12- $25
• In-home Chef experience starts at $350.00
• Catering starts at $250.00

Contact Info:

• Email: bbkitchen20@gmail.com
• Instagram: @blackbourbonkitchen

Image Credits
Headshot photographed by Elijah Griffin