At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ole Miss student Michael Bennet had just been laid off from his job at Walgreens. Now, he’s a celebrity chef serving up dishes daily at the NBA Bubble in Orlando, Florida.
During his time working at Walgreens, Bennet also worked to grow his business, Amor Le Taste, by selling plates of food in Oxford. After his friends encouraged him to start an Instagram account showcasing his culinary talents, it didn’t take long for him to get a following. Bennet knew there was no better time to focus his efforts on becoming a full-time chef.
“It was like right at the beginning of the pandemic,'” Bennet said. “So at that point, I was like let me just try this cooking thing and see how it goes.”
After a tweet featuring a picture of a catered dinner he prepared went viral, Bennet was approached by an NBA player who asked if Bennet would like to cook for him during the offseason. Later, this would lead to an even bigger opportunity to work as a chef for players in the NBA Bubble.
Bennet told HottyToddy.com that his advice to others looking to break into the big time is simple.
“Just pray about it, take that leap, and just try,” Bennet said. “You can get knocked down ten, twenty, a hundred times, or you can get a hundred no’s. But it can only take that one person to say yes, and now you’re a celebrity chef.”
Check out the video above to hear the full story.
Video by Halle Novarese, IMC student