Before he was tall enough to reach the stove, Brandon Emmitt’s passion for cooking emerged.
“As a kid, my dad did most of the cooking,” Brandon says. “So watching my dad cook in the kitchen, I learned to develop a passion for cooking, for food.”
After graduating from college — the only one out of his siblings to do so — Brandon started out in the industry as a dishwasher. Working for different chefs, Brandon soon realized he wanted to start his own business.
“I came from nothing,” Brandon says. “I always had this thought and always felt that I was doing most of the work and the chef was taking most of the money home. I felt as if I can do the work...so why just work for somebody else when I can do it myself? I’ve been cooking for 14 years. I was just ready to go ahead and do my own thing.”
In 2014, Brandon started his own catering business: Emmitt’s Catering. Based in Southlake since 2016, Brandon caters everything from graduations and weddings to family gatherings and corporate events. He cooks anything and everything a client wants, but his popular dishes include prime rib, seafood pasta and fajitas. Never one to forget where he came from, Brandon cooks from the heart, just like his dad.
“It just wasn’t a meal for the family. My dad actually enjoyed [cooking],” Brandon says. “And the spark for me was seeing his passion. Watching him taking it seriously, it made me take it to heart. So I cook from my heart.”
Brandon now cooks for clients throughout the Metroplex.
“When I first started out, I never imagined being on this level,” Brandon says. “To see me today is like, ‘Wow.’ I always believed in myself, but I never believed my business was going to grow this fast in a short period of time.”
And for budding entrepreneurs, Brandon is more than happy to be a role model.
“I pray and hope someone sees me and as they see the things that I do, it gives them motivation and inspiration,” Brandon says. “If I can do it, they can do it.”