Today we’d like to introduce you to Chef Keis Briscoe.
Hi Chef Keis, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I grew up in West Baltimore, more specifically, Bruce Court Projects. Growing up in Baltimore City wasn’t easy, to say the least. However, it was all I knew, so I made the best of it. I experienced things no child should ever have to go through. There was a lot of drug activity, addicts, crooked cops, police brutality, and so on. I remember going to the store one night with my mom and grandmother and us having to run back home because someone started shooting. Or having guns drawn on me at the age of 5 by 4 police officers while in the arms of my biological father.
I’ve even witnessed my sister’s father being shot and murdered in front of me at the age of 6. Needless to say, I’ve lost more loved ones than most to gun violence. At the age of 12, my mother decided to move us out of the hood into the suburban town of Glen Burnie. Although Glen Burnie was hardly 30 minutes away from where I grew up, it was a completely different world. I had a MAJOR culture shock, and I hated it lol. There were no police and ambulance sirens screeching throughout the day and night, no gunshots, drug dealers or addicts hanging on the corners, and not many street lights. And frankly, it was, what I thought at the time to be, “too quiet”. I remember not going outside for at least the first year because I didn’t give it a chance and I hated everything about it.
I was so angry with my mother for taking me away from the only home I knew. Only to move me to a town full of Caucasians. That was my thought process at the time, although it was a very diverse town. Coming from where I come from I only really knew one race.
I remember my mom asking me to get something for her from her car one evening and I bolted to and from the car. However, I would run around the projects any time of the night, gun shots firing around me and not bat an eye. I was completely scared to be somewhere that was 100% safe for me and completely comfortable with being somewhere that was 100% dangerous. Reflecting back on it now, moving me out of the hood was the best thing my mother could have ever done for me. She completely changed the course of my life by taking this one small step.
Experiencing life in this Suburban town is where it all began. It is the foundation of the woman I am. Although I lived in the suburbs, I still made it my mission to spend as much time in the city as I could, because to me it was still home. I began to really examine life being in Baltimore City vs. Glen Burnie and how life didn’t have to be the way we were so accustomed to. We don’t have to be gangsters, drug dealers, prostitutes, addicts, none of it! That’s all I could think about over the next several years. It was the thought of wanting better for my people. That sparked my first entrepreneurial idea, a nonprofit for the youth of Baltimore.
I had always had a natural interest in cooking. I cooked my first meal on the stove at the age of 6, by myself. I remember watching my grandmother as a kid while she cooked and eventually helping her, and from there my passion blossomed. In my freshman year of high school, I began taking culinary classes at Cat North, a vocational school for high schoolers. There, I fell in love with the art of Culinary. I then went on to continue my culinary education at The Culinary Institute of America and Le Cordon Bleu. Fast forward to now, I am a well-rounded French-trained Celebrity Private chef and entrepreneur with over 17 years of experience under my belt in the culinary and hospitality industry. I have worked with an array of high-profile clientele, actors, actresses, musicians, athletes, comedians, production companies, and many more! I am also launching my designer women’s chef apparel brand in October 2022, My gourmet sauce and spice line in 2024, and this is just the beginning! I have so many amazing projects that I am working on and can’t wait to release.
One of which is a nonprofit of the arts for the youth of Baltimore in honor of my mother and grandmother.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Nothing about my life has been smooth. My parents were children themselves when I was born. My mom,14, and my biological father,18. I was raised by my moms, mom, my grandmother. She was my mother until the age of 11, when she passed. I grew up in one of the most dangerous cities in this country and have suffered an immense amount of loss and pain because of it. I’ve been molested by older family members, and even raped in a room full of people I thought I trusted. I was the oldest of 5 and had to suffer the burden of raising my younger siblings. I watched my mother struggle my entire life, I even remember periods when we were homeless and slept in the car.
My mother did the best she could with what she knew, however, my upbringing was not the best. I struggled for a long time with confidence and self-worth issues. Although I do believe she loved me, she suffered from her own issues , which she took out on me, she was my biggest bully. When I was old enough to spread my wings and move forward in my life the way I wanted to, my mom passed unexpectedly. I’ve had to figure things out on my own ever since. In doing so I’ve learned so much, one of the things being I wasn’t really equipped with the tools I needed to really succeed in life. However that has been one of the most beautiful pieces of my journey. The growth and level of self awareness I have now, wouldn’t exist had everything been handed to me on a silver platter.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I currently have two active brands The Chef Keis/ Private Celebrity Chef brand, and my Designer Women’s Chef Apparel brand. And two in development, my gourmet spice and sauce line, and my nonprofit for the Baltimore youth.
I’m really excited about all of my projects and the things I have working, however my apparel line is one of my first babies. Fancy Pants Chef Gear has been an idea I’ve been working on since my culinary college days, over 10 years ago. When I realized how difficult it was to find chef apparel that stood apart from what my male colleagues were wearing, fit me properly, had style, personality, individuality, and diversity. Fancy Pants Chef Gear is a first-of-its-kind Women’s chef apparel line.
I am known for creating great food with a smile, laughter, and love while also being in style, wearing bold and colorful pants and prints. Who I am as a chef, person, and entrepreneur sets me apart. I’m very unique in my cooking style and my apparel line is very unique in the items we offer. My spice line is unique in the types of spices and sauces we’ll offer, and so on. I am most proud of how far I’ve come and what I’ve been able to accomplish for all of my brands. When I think back to where I came from it brings tears to my eyes to know that I’ve made it out of that toxic environment and now actively living and working on and accomplishing my goals and dreams. I work with some of the biggest celebrities and names in the world, Kevin and Eniko Hart being my current clients. I am most proud of even having the idea for my brands and consistently and persistently working towards the goal. When I first thought of Fancy Pants I had no idea where to go or how to begin now, over 10 years later our pre launch and launch dates are set. I want people to know that nothing is impossible as cliche as it may sound. It all begins in your mind. If you believe you can, you can and if you believe you can’t, well… you can’t. You all can follow me on Facebook/IG @ChefKeis TikTok/Twitter @ChefKeiss. Remember my name because although I’ve made it far, I’m nowhere near what the universe has planned for me! Be on the look out for the Chef Keis brands! We’re about to take the culinary industry by storm!
What matters most to you?
What matters most to me is being of service to my community. I know for certain that everything I’m doing and working towards doesn’t come from me, it’s beyond me. God/the universe chose me and I’m just executing on the plan. Nothing I am doing is for me. It is all to provide the resources and knowledge to the people that look like me and come from where I come from. The only difference between us and the 1% is the lack of knowledge and execution of that knowledge.
Each of my brands are stationed in Baltimore, MD. We provide a completely different work environment however, we will also provide resources for our team members and their families. Such as classes to learn about taxes, investing, life insurance, mental health and therapy, financial literacy, and so on. Because although I do believe everyone can’t be the boss, everyone should definitely have the knowledge, access to resources, and OWNERSHIP!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.chefkeisbriscoe.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chefkeis
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chefkeis
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/ChefKeiss
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/chefkeisbriscoe
- Other: https://tiktok.com/chefkeiss
Image Credits
@creativechaosmedia
