Connect
To Top

Meet Chef Tre of The Colorful Kitchen Poet in Mesa

Avatar photo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chef Tre.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Chef Tre. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I remember being 12 and having this idea that I randomly wanted to cook for my parents. I saved my allowance, took a bus ride to the grocery store and came back with beets, sirloin steak and baby carrots, I had no idea what I was doing in the kitchen outside of seeing my mom, grandma cooking or my aunt whipping up a decadent dessert. I wanted to cater to my parents and felt this meal would be just the perfect gift. I made an overly done steak, bland beets and some crunchy baby carrots. It’s kind of funny thinking back on it now. I think they chewed that steak for over an hour.

The next time was when I was 15 and my boyfriend was ill. I thought what better way to show my young love than to prepare him some homemade chicken noodle soup. This was no ordinary soup, the soup contained an array of vegetables, spices, homemade bone broth, and was made from scratch, no goop out of the can. Well, he broke up with me and declined the soup. I remember running up the stairs in this long stripped dress and heels with the soup, tripped up the stairs, further embarrassing myself and him laughing before speeding off. When I finally made it to the top, I was met with warm embraces from my friends Angie and Myndi who was more than happy to eat the soup and complimented me on how well it tasted. Now I do not know if they were just being nice because I had been dumped or if the soup was really as good as they said it was.

From the moment I made the soup, cooking became an outlet to relieve stress, I learned just how powerful the food I prepared was to so many people and decided to enroll in Cooking Hospitality Institute of Chicago until I gave birth to my 3rd son RJ and dropped out. Throughout the years I have worked at a few restaurants learning something new from each one. I used to sell plates on the side of a local club and out of my kitchen window. As more time went on, I would throw these fun dinner parties with drinks and games and would test out different recipes on anyone who wanted to come over in the neighborhood.

I began traveling and cooking for people everywhere I went from Chicago to Indiana to Alabama, Mississippi and now Arizona. I didn’t realize that I was leaving behind a lasting impression of this fun, loud, bubbly, easy to talk to, humble cook, gaining some amazing friends from all over. Each place that I visited, I ended up moving to while learning each state had their own style of food. Taking dishes that were native to that particular region and adding a twist. At the time, I did not grasp that recreating these dishes and serving them to people was my calling. I wanted to do more to help people and I enrolled into The University of Phoenix and completed my Associates in Psychology. However, I began to go through extreme depression when I began having issues with my teenage sons.

One day my middle son Buddah suggested we start a catering business. I was willing to do anything at that point to give him something that would keep him out of trouble, give him hope, something he could take pride in, and never be judged for his past. Well, my son was not so lucky and was unable to help with the business I started. My son wanted me to continue, although temporarily it was without him. I threw the idea out there to my husband, mom, aunt, sister, dad and they all embraced the idea. They started listing a variety of dishes they came to love throughout the years, suggesting I give it a try. My auntie shell and my sister Tiff started investing in my kitchen supplies as soon as I said I do!

My best friends Kesha, Angie & Tiffany flew out of state to come support my opening event. They didn’t expect to get put to work and sign up for hells kitchen. Honestly it was all love. I never expected to get that much support & love. Especially when I brought the idea of quitting my job to my husband Percy he was totally on board and still is. From there, the Colorful Kitchen Poet was born. I had no idea that something I started for my son would be the very thing to save me in the process. It gave me something to look forward to, put all my love, trust, sweat, pain, worry and all the struggles I went through as a mom into something so amazing. The Colorful Kitchen Poet is my newborn baby.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, not at all. There have definitely been some challenges. For one, I had no idea what I was doing, I always undercharged and I ended up in most cases paying to do someone else’s event. I did not know what steps I needed to take to be a successful business owner which caused me to make quite a few mistakes. Mistakes that made me want to throw in the towel, but I kept going, continued learning new, innovative ways to perfect my craft, which made the struggles worth it. Each time it gets a bit easier.

I remember my oldest son Zyaire saw me bawling my eyes out in the kitchen one day while getting ready for an event, and he was like ma you are supposed to be having fun with this. You love to cook and if this isn’t fun anymore to the point where you are this stressed, then stop. I was literally throwing pots, crying, staying up all night trying to perfect a dish. I realized he was right, so even when I get super stressed, I take a moment and reflect. It brought me back to advice my best friend Susan had given me, she said, “Tre I know how you get stressed out in the kitchen, but just remember to take a moment to breathe, enjoy, remember to appreciate how far you’ve come. That was right before I threw my first coming out as the colorful kitchen poet party. I still have to remind myself of that, because I want every meal, event to be perfect and it can take away from the passion of cooking.

I had to learn how to ask for help and really confront my areas of opportunity, openly and most important, honestly. I sat down with my husband and we came up with a plan that helped me with areas that I wasn’t so great in and really stepped up to the plate to make things run smoother. I mean he will help cook, clean, drop off food, create budgets, invest, print menus, anything in order to keep things running smoothly and to keep me sane. I know that I could not be where I’m at without him.

The Colorful Kitchen Poet – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Well we are a family-owned business that specializes in private dining. We are not your average catering service, while most people book caterers based on some of their favorite dishes, like the specialty lasagna by the pan. We don’t use recipes. I don’t have a favorite dish, when people ask I always get stuck answering that question. I love to freestyle in the kitchen and create something magical. When I cook for you, it is like tasting poetry. It will be different than the last time you have tasted it because I am always working to make it better. We love to take recipes, reinvent them, find a new way to elevate flavors to their highest potential. Making these dishes pleasing to the eye and make you feel the passion that went into preparing it for you.

Our goal is to create an unforgettable experience for you, amazing food, ambiance that will make you feel euphoric bliss. We put a lot into making our private dining experiences unique. Every menu is customized for your individual tastes and preferences. We come into your space, prepare everything fresh, set amazing table décor from the glassware to fresh cut flowers to set the mood and serve you tableside so you don’t have to lift a finger. We don’t do drop-offs, meal preps, soul food, or premade meals.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Making my husband, mom, dad, aunt, sister, children proud because they are a tough crowd to please. For them to witness how much I have grown, learned, accomplished, by stepping out on faith and pushing myself to limits that I never knew was possible is a blessing.

Contact Info:


Suggest a story: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.

Related Items

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More in