MONTEGO BAY, St James — It should come as no surprise that 26-year-old Carrie Wilson decided to leave her job as a sales executive to fully commit to her dream of becoming a personal chef.

After all, Wilson has had a hard time keeping herself from whipping up a meal in any kitchen she finds herself since she was a pre-teen. She told the Jamaica Observer that her love for the culinary arts was inspired by watching her mother prepare the traditional Jamaican Sunday dinner.

“I used to sit down in the kitchen and watch my mom cook. I love my belly, so I cooked my first rice and peas at a young age,” Wilson said.

Wilson’s passion for cooking followed her throughout her years at the Hopewell High School in Hanover and in 2013 she enrolled in the Western Hospitality Institute where she pursued an Associate of Science in Culinary Chef Management. While learning to balance the changes that came with her tertiary studies, Wilson started to offer her services on the side through small catering gigs.

She told the Sunday Observer that it was through these gigs and other hospitality jobs she developed an appetite for success. Wilson would soon realise that she needed to bet on herself to discover her true calling.

Earlier in June, Wilson went on to offer her private chef services full-time.

“I was working at Iberostar as a gourmet chef. I then worked as a manager and supervisor at different restaurants and hotels. During my most recent job I decided that I need to make the sacrifice and take that leap to do something that I love to do. That is when I decided to just do my personal chef service,” Wilson explained.

Noting that she has not stopped cooking professionally since the age of 17 when she started her associate’s degree, Wilson is proud to have taken this step towards realising her dream.

“It was a sacrifice and it was all worth it because I have never felt so happy. I am happy that I took this risk and was marketing myself before leaving my job — so even though I took a leap of faith, it wasn’t just jumping off with no reassurance of what’s [to come],” Wilson told the Sunday Observer.

Wilson went on to explain that she “played the long game” during her job as a sales executive as her eyes were focused on the proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. This saw her utilising her free time to build her clientele before venturing off to create her brand.

“I was a private chef while I was still working at my previous company, so in the evenings when I leave work I would go to my clients in the Montego Freeport area to make dinner for them or for whatever events they have, then I would be back to work the next morning. On the weekends I would be there for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I have been doing it on the side so it was somewhat of an easy transition for me,” said Wilson.

She added, “I have never taken a vacation in my entire work life. When I took my vacation days off I used them to do other work. It was hectic, but I am doing something I love, so it didn’t feel like a drag for me.”

Sharing that she is a “country girl” at heart, the young chef said she enjoys preparing both Jamaican and international cuisines for her clients. But she quickly pointed out that all of her meals are gourmet.

“I try to offer my guests a few Jamaican days. I had some guests who were here for a month and I gave them one week of Jamaican cuisine. I tried to dress it up so I still served them the jerked chicken and ackee with saltfish, but in fine style,” she said.

Throwing support behind the teachers who she said helped to nurture her young and curious mind, Wilson told the Sunday Observer that “high school has played a huge part” in her success so far.

“I have to say a big thank you to my teachers at Hopewell High School. I went in all hearty, wanting to do every single curriculum, but I had to narrow it down. Food and nutrition…was one of the only classes I was super excited to be at, and even when there was no practical I still wanted to cook something. They were very supportive of my steps and they took the time to guide me along my journey,” said a grateful Wilson.

She is now looking forward to cementing her place in the hospitality industry, and based on her bookings going into the new ear Wilson is not leaving the kitchen anytime soon.

“Based on what is happening right now with my collaborations with other chefs and YouTubers, I am travelling a lot next year. I have a clientele overseas that is growing and I am super excited about it. I have to say that it is going to be amazing,” she told the Sunday Observer.

Wilson continued, “I have some upcoming events in January which I am super excited about; plus I have guests coming in as soon as next week and they are not leaving until January. I am currently booked up until April.”