Today we’d like to introduce you to Cheryl Muse.
Hi Cheryl, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
For most of my life I have always enjoyed entertaining, hosting parties, holiday celebrations and other special events in my home. Christmas brunch for my family was held in my home for over 20 years. I love planning events, and for a period of time I did corporate event planning and owned and operated a wedding planning business.
Today, my bread and butter job, my main stream of income, is serving as a high school English teacher for Baltimore County Public Schools. I actually started my teaching career in Baltimore City in the early 90’s. I taught in the public and catholic school systems until I decided to make a shift and attend law school. I was a single mother at the time, and I knew I could not be an effective educator, focus on raising my daughters and excel in law school simultaneously, so I stepped away from teaching and secured employment in the not for profit sector. I returned to teaching in 2018.
Most people know that teachers are not paid during the summer months, so for years, I have always had a side hustle to make ends meet. In most instances, I have taken something I am passionate about or interested in learning and turned it into income. I am often teased by those who know me well for holding several jobs at the same time. Right now, in addition to teaching, I serve as an associate writing professor for UMGC, I operate my catering and staffing business, and I just completed certification to serve as a notary and loan signing agent..
I have worked in retail, as a camp counselor, a tutor, an Uber and Lyft driver, but for many years I have earned additional money in the catering industry. I have more than 15 years of professional bartending and waitstaff experience. My bartending passion led me to become a certified trainer for the state of Maryland. I train bartenders, servers, restaurant owners and managers and liquor store owners how to safely and legally serve and sell alcohol.
During the pandemic I put my cooking and baking passion/skills to great use. I baked, sold and delivered thousand of dollars of homemade cookies. I also started an event staffing business where I trained and then provided bartenders and waitstaff to caterers and private clients.
In 2024, my brother who owns and operates funeral homes in Baltimore, approached me with the idea of providing lite fare for families he served. During the viewings that took place the day before the funeral, I provided a lite meal to the families. Some of those families subsequently hired me to prepare a meal for them to be served after the funeral, and people began asking me to cater for other events. The requests increased so quickly that I formed an LLC and began marketing my services throughout Maryland, DC, Virginia and Pennsylvania. In the last two years I have catered high profile events for the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore Centerstage, and numerous private clients who hired me for weddings, vow renewals, birthday celebrations and baby showers.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Starting a business is a daunting task. As a caterer, I had a significant amount of equipment that I needed to purchase. I needed to make my presence known in the community and the industry, and I needed a place to operate. There are several commercial kitchens in the area that allow caterers/chefs to use the space to prepare their products, but many of them are utilized by so many people that there is often a lack of space to store, prep and cook as well as viable times to use the space. There are not a lot of commercial kitchen spaces available to lease, and if they exist, the rental rates are steep. So my two biggest hurdles since I started have been securing a consistent commercial kitchen facility and having the funding to promote my business in the marketplace and purchase items that I need.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
As I stated earlier, I am a high school English teacher. Throughout my years of teaching I have taught grades 3-12. I love teaching and working with youth. My high school babies, as I call them, are near and dear to my heart. I currently teach in an alternative school. I have a smaller number of students, but they arrive at our school from their regular high school with a host of challenges. I want my students to know that “I see them” so I have a picture displayed on my classroom walls of almost every student whom I have taught in the last 3 years.
I love learning, and if I could attend school right now for free to earn a PhD or a trade, I would do it in a heartbeat. I just can’t add any educational debt to what I am already paying. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in English, a Master’s degree in Non-profit Management and a Juris Doctorate degree. I never passed the bar exam to practice in Maryland, but I enjoyed my tenure in law school, and I am proud that I successfully earned my degree.
I have learned over the years that to make a true impact with students, it is important to get to know them and build a positive rapport with them. I need to know what they are interested in, what academic challenges they have, what types of things might trigger negative behavior, and because I teach a diverse body of students, I want to learn more about their ethnicity and their view of the world. I may not be the best English teacher on the planet, but my students know that I care about them, that I want the best for them even when they are not demonstrating that they want the best for themselves. My students know I have their back but that I will hold them accountable for their academic requirements. I often tell them that I will feed, them, engage in great conversations with them, plan cool activities for them , and support them when they are facing difficulties, but I will still fail them if they do not complete my assignments.
Life is not going to give them any handouts. They need to work for what they want if they want a healthy, prosperous and successful life, so while I am required to teach them all things English in the classroom, I provide them with tools to navigate life. I am really proud when I see my students who struggled walking across a stage to receive their high school diploma, and I am humbled and deeply appreciative when students I taught years and years ago in elementary school give me shout outs on social media and characterize me as their favorite teacher.
Teaching in today’s society is not for the faint of heart. Sometimes we are competing with technology, social media, youtube influencers, substance abuse and mental health challenges all in the course of a day. Apathy towards school is rampant among our students, but I am not giving up. I love what I do, and my students need to know that no matter what they bring to the classroom, I am there for them.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
Baltimore born and bred. I attended public schools in Baltimore and grew up in Northwest Baltimore. I love Baltimore’s cool neighborhoods and its rich history. When I served as a rideshare driver, I was always fascinated by the places I discovered during my trips. I love the diverse population of Baltimore. I remember growing up and learning about neighborhoods that were pretty segregated, and seeing those neighborhoods change to a wonderful melting pot of ethnic groups delights me. I am not a big foodie, but I do enjoy good cuisine. So it makes me happy to see all of the entrepreneurs who have been able to bring their cuisine talents to the marketplace and earn income and a following. There are things associated with Baltimore that make me smile like having the oldest all-female high school in the country which I attended, steamed crabs and crab cakes, egg custard snowballs, “The Wire,” and Cab Calloway and Billie Holliday because I am avid music listener.
Baltimore has experienced some challenges. We have and are still battling the heroin crisis, high murder rates, and corruption in the Mayor’s office. The thing I am most disheartened about at the moment is the high rate of crimes committed by juveniles and the lack of accountability for their wrongdoing.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bite-cuisine-catering.com
- Instagram: bite_cuisine
