Jamawn J. Woods discovered his love for cooking at age 15 when he helped his father make homemade candy. There were not many opportunities for a self-taught chef without any formal training growing up in Detroit, so Woods created a catering company out of his home. Woods currently owns a small catering business and a food delivery service called Cook with the Looks Catering, W3's, Woods, and Wings and Waffles. His business exemplifies his focus, dedication and drive to be a successful chef. W3's is the acronym for Woods' Wings and Waffles, which consists of Belgian waffles and chicken wings. The waffles come in a variety of flavors, and the chicken has a special seasoning that's added after it's been fried. Woods is a budding restaurateur who would love the opportunity to show the world that small beginnings make for even greater and bigger endings.
Hope you've got an appetite for excellence.
Amateur caterer/cook Jamawn J. Woods and his Soul Daddy restaurant concept have been chosen as the eatery most likely to succeed on the NBC reality show, “America’s Next Great Restaurant.”
What does that mean for you? Well, it means there will now be three opportunities – in New York, Los Angeles and Minneapolis - to eat Woods’ great food.
On the reality competition, Woods vied with 10 contestants for a chance at the top prize: Actually developing a restaurant. The final competition came down to three opponents, each of whom had the chance to do a specially-created version of their restaurant, along with a “soft” opening. Restaurateur and TV chef Bobby Flay, along with chef Curtis Stone, chef and restaruenter Lorena Garcia and Steve Ellis, founder and CEO of Chipolte, served as both judges and investors who committed their expertise and money to the winner.
Woods’ concept was deemed the most promising, and he now has three Soul Daddy restaurants to his name.
The 32-year-old Detroit native got interested in cooking after helping his father create homemade candy at home. Completely self-taught, Woods started a catering company out of his house, focusing on his specialties of wings and waffles. His motivation to start the business, he says, was just to provide for his family.
That very personal motivation obviously helped Woods impress the judges, who awarded him the top prize for his efforts.
"A passion for food, a solid work ethic, good business sense and delicious meals are what the investors were searching for on this series, and Jamawn embodies all of those traits and more. He is truly the heart and soul of Soul Daddy," Flay said. "The investors are thrilled to introduce soul food to America through these restaurants, and we are confident they will savor every flavor.”
On the show, Woods learned how make his recipes leaner to better fit the public’s more nutrition-oriented concerns and took every opportunity to learn how to run a successful business on a grander scale than he had in Detroit. With three restaurants in major markets, it appears that Woods is well on his way as a franchise business owner. But he says that success has only changed the tax bracket, not his personality.
“The best part of my experience was the whole Vegas trip, staying at Caesars, meeting the judges, eating at Mesa Grill and the competition,” he told NBC.com. “No, I don't think the experience has changed me. I'm still the same person, just with more drive, passion toward food, and self-confidence to succeed.”
www.souldaddyrestaurant.com
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