Chef LaToya Larkin is a culinary powerhouse and visionary entrepreneur reshaping the food industry with bold innovation and soulful authenticity. With over 25 years of experience as a classically trained chef and hospitality consultant, she is the founder of Black Girl Tamales—a groundbreaking gourmet fusion brand blending Southern soul food with traditional tamale culture.
LaToya’s journey from high school culinary educator to internationally recognized chef is a testament to her resilience, creativity, and passion for purpose-driven food. Her unique take on fusion cuisine has earned her accolades, including multiple best-selling author titles (Wall Street Journal & USA Today), national brand recognition, and partnerships with organizations such as the James Beard Foundation, Goldman Sachs Black in Business, and the Heinz Black Kitchen Initiative.
As a G-Unity Business Coach, motivational speaker, and curriculum writer, she equips aspiring chefs and entrepreneurs with the tools to turn passion into profit. Through her nonprofit, It’s Thyme 4a Change, she mentors at-risk youth, offering culinary and entrepreneurial training that inspires long-term transformation.
Now launching in Tulsa this fall, Chef LaToya joins Tulsa Remote and the revitalization of Black Wall Street with a vision to transform how the world experiences Black food and Black brilliance. Whether she’s on stage, in the kitchen, or at the farmer’s market, one thing is always true: she’s bringing the heat and a whole lot of heart.
Whether she’s developing disruptive recipes, delivering keynotes, or designing courses that blend flavor with financial empowerment, Chef LaToya Larkin is more than a chef she’s a movement.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
No two days look exactly alike when you’re running a brand, building legacy, and pouring into your purpose. However, I’ve learned that structure keeps me productive.
Mornings: Mindset & Movement
I start my day by leading with intention. Every morning starts with a gratitude check and prayer to center myself. I always remind myself WHY I started and who I’m doing it for to keep me afloat especially on those rougher days. I like to also start with a quick yoga/pilates to help stretch me mentally and physically to shift into execution mode.
Mid-Mornings: Creative CEO Flow
This is my deep work zone. I tackle high-level thinking tasks first: Recipe development, technical writing, cookbook drafts, product planning, pitching partnerships or grants, and marketing calendar. I like to protect my creative flow by putting phone on DND to eliminate distractions.
Afternoons: Action & Admin
Once the creativity flows, I shift into business mode. This typically is: meetings or coaching calls, email replies, production, and other fulfillment tasks for Black Girl Tamales. I use block scheduling to batch tasks grouping similar work to reduce decision fatigue.
Evenings: Nourishment & Nurturing
Evenings are for dinner, decompression, and checking in with my love. I try not to overwhelm myself and burnout. Rest is definitely a part of my day to day hustle & grind.
Productivity Secrets I Swear By:
1) Sunday planning sessions: I map out my goals weekly, not just daily.
2) Templates and systems: I don’t recreate the wheel. I refine it.
3) Protect the morning. Own the calendar. Delegate when possible.
How do you bring ideas to life?
For me, ideas are sacred, but execution is where the magic happens. I’m a creative genius and always formulating ideas. However, I bring ideas to life with a mix of clarity, creativity, and controlled chaos.
Most of my best ideas start in the kitchen, or just laying bed listening to the TV in the background.
If it’s in alignment with purpose, the concept brands, sustainable, and scalable. Then I give it permission to grow.
1) Map the Vision by doing a brain dump. Voice or written notes on my phone. Written notes in multiple journals. Typed notes in google doc. I always capture the energy before it fades or I forget.
2) Break it down into digestible parts. Every idea gets turned into a project with a timeline and checklist.
3) Trial and error. I share the raw version with my trusted crew. Depending upon project it maybe clients, students, peers, or my online community. Their feedback becomes fuel to know if it’s a win or if it’s a no go.
4) I build while the inspiration is hot. Rough drafts are always rough and raw, but commit to doing the work to refine, remix, and rework until it feels good to reflect me. My brand. My voice. My standard.
I bring the idea to life through action, not overthinking.
5. I don’t wait for the stars to align or perfection. I launch the MVP (minimum viable product), promote it with real energy, and let it evolve in public. Because done is always better than perfect and feedback only comes once you put it out there.
Final Note:
Bringing ideas to life requires work and giving yourself grace for mistakes. I give my ideas room to breathe and turn the inspiration into income, and purposeful products.
What’s one trend that excites you?
I’m lit up about the rise of culinary tech tools that empower chefs and foodpreneurs to monetize their genius independently.
Whether it’s AI-driven menu costing apps (like the one I’m building), digital recipe planners, or platforms that help chefs sell subscriptions, host virtual classes, or bundle cookbooks with e-commerce this trend is changing the game.
It excites me because it removes the gatekeepers. You no longer need a restaurant. You don’t need a publisher or someone’s permission. Simply a solid product, a compelling story, and a smart tech stack.
As someone who went from teaching high school culinary to building an award-winning tamale brand, I see the value in tools that let chefs teach, sell, serve, and scale without burning out in the back of a kitchen.
This trend is opening doors for creators like me and I’m here to walk through them, then hold the door open for the next one.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
One habit that keeps me productive is what I call the 90/30 Rule: 90 min of focused, uninterrupted work then 30 min to reset, reflect, or recharge.
Whether I’m writing recipes, developing a product, planning a launch, or coaching clients. I block out 90-minute sprints where I go all in on one task. No multitasking, no distractions, no “let me check this real quick.” Just intentional, locked-in work.
Then I step away for 30 to rest my mind, stretch, take a walk, nourish the soul. That rhythm helps me work smarter not harder. It protects my creativity while keeping my momentum high to simply just breathe.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Dear Younger Me,
You are not too much. You are not too loud, too ambitious, too emotional, or too different. You’re just early and haven’t come into your own to be around people who appreciate and embrace that.
Everything that makes you feel “othered” right now will one day be the exact reason people remember your name, buy your product, read your book, and feel seen when they hear your story.
Bet on yourself sooner. Don’t wait for approval, titles, or the “right time.” You already have what it takes you just need to move like it.
Protect your peace like it’s profit. Not everyone deserves access to your energy. Learn the word “no” and use it with love and power.
Stay rooted. Your culture is your competitive edge. Rest is not quitting. You do not have to grind yourself into the ground to prove you’re worthy. Rest is part of the strategy. So is joy.
You are going to be the one to change the game. You’ll walk into rooms your younger self wouldn’t even dream of, but you’ll do it on your own terms, flavor first.
You’ve already survived 100% of your worst days. So take that next step, and bring your whole damn brilliance with you.
Love,
The Chef, the Educator, the Visionary you grew up to be.
Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you.
I believe that struggle is not a prerequisite for success. In the Black and brown communities, we glorify “the grind.” We romanticize the struggle. We say things like “you gotta suffer before you succeed” as if it’s a badge of honor, but I don’t buy into it.
I believe success can come with ease, alignment, and peace. I believe you can be soft and strategic. You can honor your ancestors without recreating their trauma and pain. You can be powerful without being exhausted.
I’m not saying the road is easy. I’ve walked through fire more than once. But I’ve also learned:
When I stopped chasing hard and started choosing aligned, everything flowed.
The brand, the book deals, the partnerships, the people it all came when I let go of survival mode.
Most folks still clutch the belief that you have to be broken, broke, and burnt out before you rise. I believe you can rise with rest, with joy, and with boundaries in place.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
I consistently revisit my “why” and I recommend everyone do the same. In a world that pulls you in a thousand directions, you can get caught up checking boxes, chasing trends, and performing success instead of living it. But when I pause whether weekly, monthly, or right before a big decision—and ask myself:
Why did I start this? Who am I doing this for? What does alignment feel like not just achievement?
That simple reflection grounds me. It realigns my energy. It reignites my creativity. It reminds me that my work is purpose-driven and not performance-based.
This habit has helped me pivot with confidence, say “no” to things that look good but don’t feel right, and build a brand that reflects my values, not just my skill set.
I don’t just recommend this to business owners I recommend it to anyone navigating growth. Because when the “why” is clear, the “how” becomes powerful, and the “what if” becomes possible.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
When I feel overwhelmed, I don’t push through it blindly anymore. I’ve learned that grind mode without grounding leads to burnout, not breakthrough. I pause and get present with myself, my purpose, and my breath.
So first, I sit still. No emails. No calls. No content. Just me sitting in silence, praying, journaling, or taking a walk with no agenda. I ask myself:
What’s really causing the overwhelm? What’s mine to carry, and what needs to be delegated or deleted?
When I’m unfocused, I simplify brain dump everything spinning in my head onto paper just to see it clearly. Sometimes it’s your vision telling you it’s time to slow down, recalibrate, and rise with clarity.
I love having moments of being an absolute BUM and don’t apologize for taking that pause. Because I know that rest, reflection, and realignment are part of how I lead, build, and show up full.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
Investing and positioning myself as the brand not just the talent.
For years, I was known as the one who “could cook anything” or “run a classroom with excellence.” But it wasn’t until I flipped the script and started showing up as the brand behind the brilliance that my business truly scaled and my career evolved.
I stopped just doing the work and started documenting the why. I invested in storytelling, packaging, and visibility. I learned how to speak on stages, pitch myself for press, teach from experience, and turn my intellectual property into products not just performances.
That shift helped me show up differently: Launch Black Girl Tamales as a brand, not just a product. Write best-selling books and get invited to elite accelerators and culinary stages. Secure strategic partnerships, not just gigs. Get paid for my mindset and methodology, not just my labor
I built a digital presence with consistency and confidence. I leaned into public speaking and podcasting to share my story. I built authority by educating others, not gatekeeping. I invested in branding assets: visual identity, pitch decks, and professional packaging
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
One of my biggest failures early in my career was believing that being exceptionally good at what I do as a chef, educator, and leader would be enough to open doors, land opportunities, and elevate me to where I belonged. I thought if I worked harder, showed up stronger, and outperformed everyone in the room, people would naturally recognize my value…….ABSOLUTELY NOT
I got passed over for promotions I was more than qualified for. I watched less-experienced, less-passionate people get chosen because they positioned themselves while I was stuck trying to prove myself. It truly broke my spirits for quite sometime.
How I Overcame It:
Rebuilding with visibility and voice. Instead of staying bitter, I got better at business. I realized that talent needs visibility. Impact needs strategy. And legacy requires leverage.
I started telling my story unapologetically. Building my personal brand with clarity and confidence. Creating my own platforms instead of waiting for invitations. Turning my intellectual property into digital products, books, and speaking opportunities. Learning how to pitch, package, and promote my value. That shift didn’t just elevate my career it changed the way I walk into every room.
Lesson Learned:
Being the best is not enough. You have to be seen, heard, and respected in the spaces that matter. Now I teach other chefs, creatives, and changemakers to stop hiding behind humility and start owning their brilliance because the world won’t reward what it can’t see.
What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?
A monthly subscription box that includes 1-2 products along with a digital product. Tech is booming and not to mention the subscription economy is hot. It creates an experience. You can batch produce and pre-sell based on capacity
Bonus play: Add tiers for VIP curated boxes, digital demos/workshops/classes, or community memberships with exclusive content.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
Notion is my digital command center. I use it to run my entire ecosystem from business to content to personal life. It helps me stay organized, strategic, and in alignment with what matters most.
1) Content Planning & Creation
I map out social media calendars, podcast scripts, launch emails, and workshop outlines all in one place. I use Kanban boards to track ideas from concept to published, and templates to streamline content creation.
2) Digital Product & Course Building
Every course I develop starts in Notion. I outline the transformation, break it into modules, drop in lesson ideas, and house bonus content. It helps me visualize the flow and package value clearly.
3) Business HQ
I store pitch decks, bios, grant tracking, partner lists, speaking inquiries, and media links. Everything is tagged and searchable, so I’m never scrambling when opportunity knocks.
4) Personal Systems
From meal planning to weekly reflections, affirmations, and vision boards I use Notion to balance the human with the hustle.
What is the best $100 you recently spent?
The best $100 I spent recently? On a digital course that taught me how to turn my story into a pitch. It wasn’t flashy. No certificate. No viral moment. But that $100 investment gave me clarity and that clarity turned into opportunities I didn’t even see coming.
It helped me position my tamale brand, Black Girl Tamales, not just as a product but as a cultural innovation. I learned how to tell my story with confidence, not just credentials. And the moment I applied what I learned, I landed invitations to speak, pitch, and partner on levels I used to pray for.
The lesson?
Sometimes the best money you spend isn’t on gear, glam, or gadgets it’s on perspective and investing in myself. Because when your mindset shifts, your money moves differently.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast from which you’ve received much value?
Favorite Book: The Secret by Rhonda Byrne
The Secret isn’t just a book it’s a mindset shift. It taught me that the power to change my life starts with how I think, speak, and believe. When I first read it, I was juggling motherhood, entrepreneurship, and dreams bigger than my circumstances. That book reminded me: “You don’t attract what you want you attract what you are.” Which helped me do the inner work to shift my trajectory.
Favorite Podcast: The Dept. w/Omar El‑Takrori
Hosted by Omar El‑Takrori—a content creator, coach, consultant, and pastor. The Dept. dives deep into conversations with high-level individuals who are redefining success in their “departments” of expertise. It’s not for the average it’s for the audacious.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker
Self Made tells the true story of Sarah Breedlove aka Madam C.J. Walker, America’s first documented self-made female millionaire. She built a haircare empire in the early 1900s that revolutionized beauty for Black women and inspired generations of entrepreneurs.
It shows the highs and lows of Black woman entrepreneurship navigating sexism, colorism, and fierce competition. The series highlights the tension between economic empowerment and community responsibility, something many modern-day founders can relate to. Her story is told not just as one of wealth but one of impact, vision, and ownership.
Start with what you have. Madam Walker began with homemade formulas and local hustle. Bet on yourself even when nobody else will. Your brand can be your legacy. She didn’t just sell products; she sold possibility. Build for your people. She created jobs, trained other women, and gave back before it was trendy.
Key learnings:
1) Your Story Is Your Strategy
I don’t just cook. I build legacy. From leftovers in the fridge to building Black Girl Tamales, my story proves that innovation often lives in everyday moments. I’ve turned culture, curiosity, and creativity into a full-blown brand, and that origin story is my most powerful asset.
2) Clarity + Visibility = Growth
One game-changing strategy that helped me grow was shifting from talent to brand. I realized that being good wasn’t enough I needed to be seen, heard, and packaged. Now I operate like a CEO, not just a creator, and it’s opened doors to books, stages, and deals.
3) Productivity Requires Purpose
My routines aren’t just about getting things done they’re about staying grounded. Whether it’s 90/30 focus blocks, journaling my “why,” or stepping away to cook and reset, I protect my energy so that execution stays aligned.
4) Struggle Isn’t the Blueprint Alignment Is
One of my boldest beliefs: success doesn’t have to come from suffering. I reject the idea that burnout is a badge of honor. Instead, I built from alignment, clarity, and systems and I’m living proof that I can rise without running myself into the ground.
5) Tech, Tools & Timing Matter
From Notion to AI tools to video content strategy, I lean into technology that enhances not replaces my brilliance. I bring ideas to life by combining intuition with systems and aren’t afraid to invest in tools, courses, or platforms that elevate my impact.