We had the good fortune of connecting with Christian Deneá Ellis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Christian, do you have any habits that you feel contribute to your effectiveness?
The habits that I feel helped me succeed was continuing to learn not only cooking skills, but also skills to help me build my brand. I learned how to make graphics and take eyecatching pictures for my website and social media. People notice my special touches just because I continued to grow my skills.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
What sets me apart from other catering companies is my creativity. I love Mediterranean food, so I absolutely adore kabobs. I realized that I haven’t seen kabobs with different seasonings and flavors other than the traditional Mediterranean style and that’s when the idea popped into my head. I’m most proud that I can create flavors from my culture and even from other cultures and share them with others. The look of surprise on my customer’s faces is all I need at the end of the day. I got where I am business-wise by watching and learning from others. I will do loads and loads of research on something before I decide to put my hands on it, which is something I recommend everyone do. I also just like to experiment with things like my food and my graphics which keeps me busy. Getting to this point was not easy whatsoever, but it was worth all the headaches and tears. I overcame the challenges by praying and seeking wise counsel when I needed it and really not being afraid to ask for help. What I want the world to know about my brand is that it was created out of love and because of that love is all over the food, right down to the decorations. I want people to feel cared for and loved all the time which is why our motto is “We set Vibes.” The vibe is always laid back and full of love.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
So, if my best friend was visiting we would have to stop at hilltop coffee not only to support my girl Issa Rae but because it’s a bomb space for coffee and food. Next, we have to go to the Getty or art walk in LA because who doesn’t love art. I love to look at the new artists and see all the colors so, the art walk is definitely a must. Lastly, we would have dinner at Comfort LA because all of their food is amazing and they support the black community so, so much.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I wouldn’t be where I am at all without the extreme help of my amazing MOTHER! She is my honorary brand ambassador and all the help when I need it. She corrects me but also encourages me in everything that I do. Also, I have a group of lovely ladies from my church that have become my sisters. I can share my ideas and vent when I need to, so I’m thankful to them as well.

Website: thekabobshoppe.com
Instagram: thekabobshoppe
Facebook: thekabobshoppe
Youtube: Christian Deneá