Meet Kyle Gise of Chakula in Tempe

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kyle Gise.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Kyle. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Hi, I’m Kyle Gise. I’m originally from upstate New York and relocated to Arizona in 2010. I completed my senior year at Desert Ridge High School and shortly moved out of my parents house. A few months later, I started Mesa Community College with a degree focus on music business. At this time I was hosting music events for aspiring musicians both in Phoenix and Chicago and managing a few musicians. Fast forward a few semesters and I switched my degree to education. After attending a semester of educational courses I switched my degree again to study business technology. The whole time I knew I wanted to create opportunity for others. I was trying to decide which degree or career path would satisfy me by reaching this goal. Fast forward to today and I’m working full time while growing two businesses that I founded.

Has it been a smooth road?
This journey has been interesting but far from smooth. Between school, work, and my business it was definitely too much to balance. I decided to stop taking classes to gain back more time in my life. Another barrier I’ve encountered during my journey has been my health. For the last 10 years I have been suffering from Crohn’s Disease. My disease affects nutrition absorption so at times where I was not in remission my energy was depleted for months. While I tried to remain strong, there were times where things got very dark. Since then, I have created much more light.

We’d love to hear more about your business. What do you do? What do you specialize in? What sets you apart from competition?
My two businesses are Revolutionized Culture and Chakula. Revolutionized Culture is an educational company that has a mission to educate and connect underserved youth to opportunities in the workforce. At Chakula we are partnering with local food trucks and connecting them to additional sales opportunities at apartment communities. We have already expanded to a new market (Charlotte, NC) one month after our launch and are looking to expand our reach by tapping into the commercial space. I would say what separates me from the competition is my work ethic. Challenges only motivate me, so I’ll continue to dig and dig until I find or create my answer.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I believe Phoenix is a great place for what I do. Overall, I think Phoenix is full of opportunity for many people. Many people and companies are moving to the valley each year, and opportunity is one of the reasons. I think for business owners specifically, if you are living in the valley it’s a must to be connected to the #YesPHX community. #YesPHX is a community of entrepreneurs who are focused on building the startup ecosystem and economy here in the valley. Once a year they host a week long event called Phoenix Startup Week where you can connect with other entrepreneurs while attending educational sessions on a variety of topics in business for a very low cost. Early bird tickets are $25 for all 5 days.

Pricing:

• Our meals range from $10-15

Contact Info:

• Website: chakula.us
• Email: kyle@chakula.us
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getchakula/
• Facebook: facebook.com/getchakula/
• Twitter: twitter.com/getchakula

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