Meet Clarence Chef Jai” Johnson

We had the good fortune of connecting with Clarence “Chef Jai” Johnson, Jlynn Whitehead, Josh Welch N/A and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Clarence “Chef Jai” Johnson, Jlynn Whitehead, Josh Welch, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
In terms of social media, what matters most is creating engaging content that will reach multiple audiences and help push the growth of the business. On top of that we want to build connections, tell our story and create a platform that represents something of positive value. We always want to ensure that the information on all of the social media platforms is accurate and up to date. Ensuring that our platforms have reliable sources of information for our clients is beyond crucial. And lastly and most importantly, creating an environment for all of our clients to feel welcome. – Josh W.

The most important factor behind the success of our brand is ensuring that we never leave a person behind. We reach out to those who want and need our support. We wouldn’t be who we are today without the people that we work with. Our job is not just to make a “better metro Atlanta” for the present, but also make a “better metro Atlanta” for the future. My job as the Marketing Director is not limited to just making content for interaction, but also to show that we are a reliable resource for many people living in tough situations and realities. Our story is not just giving access to secondary education. It is also making sure our students leave our program ready to take on the world and accomplish their own goals. We strive to encourage and challenge not only ourselves but the people we work with to think outside the box. We want nothing more than to make sure every person we come in contact with, leaves the interaction knowing their dream is our dream.
– Jlynn W.

The most important factor of my success and of my brand is the people. Truly the people are our greatest asset. The job that you do can be quantified by finances and other things of that capacity. More importantly it can be quantified by the people who drive your success. They are the ones who stand behind your brand and support you. They are the people who will always keep you in the position of greatness. And if you don’t have the people’s support then your brand and your success will be very limited. I choose to get up every day to do what I do for our community and the people who surround me. Those are absolutely the most important factors of my success. You can measure your success by how much money you have, but I would like to measure my success by the amount of lives and people I can touch. – Chef Jai

What should our readers know about your business?
As it pertains to the non-profit side of our business. We have two pillars that are the bases of everything that we do. We focus on outreach in our community and education with our JreamBuilderz Academy. As for outreach, once a month we partner or personally hold an event where we can give back to the community. Every November we hold Operation Feed Atlanta, where we give free hot meals and wrap-around services. The services can include haircuts, medical assistance, clothing toiletries, job and career opportunities, etc. Our goal this year is to feed 3000 mouths. We work hard to make sure no one goes hungry.

As for JreamBuilderz Academy we want to provide a well-rounded secondary education for Atlanta residents. We offer courses in culinary, CNA, security guard training, and hospitality. We hold fundraisers to help raise money to give scholarships to all of our students as a means of giving them a free to low-cost education. Most of the courses are a few weeks to a couple of months long. Not only do we provide this education, but we also connect students to apprenticeship and job opportunities post completion. All we ask in return is about 10 hours of community service a month per student.

We are most excited to be expanding and exploring more ways to connect with our community this year. We are also excited to be opening up the academy late 2022 or early 2023. Our team has been working hard on creative ways to bring life and love back into our metro Atlanta community. We are working hard to give volunteer opportunities for those who need/want it, a solid education to those who want to start a new vocation, and plenty of resources for anyone to use.

We got to where we are today through hard work and never giving anything less than 100%, dedicating who we are to what we represent, and ensuring that we always follow and replicate great leadership. We are not reinventing the wheel, but rather adding to it. Making it studier so it will drive longer. Chef Jai reminds his team to always remain humble and to listen. Being coachable and willing to learn makes for great success. He also reminds them that you must continue to educate yourself on your craft, there is always something to learn and to take away from what you do and why you do it.

Chef also states that he has not necessarily overcame his challenges but rather learned to move through them, and pushes himself everyday to find new solutions. He states, “Sometimes in life you have a ‘forever challenge'”, he then goes on to explain the challenge is to find ways to get overcome it. As people we will face trials and tribulations and it isn’t about how fast you can get out of it, but the lessons learned within it.

Chef and his team wants everyone to know that we collectively try to make the world a better place, one plate at a time. We put our heart on the plate. We believe our work ethic is as good as our food, our determination is as good as our service. and we are as good as the community we serve.

The lesson Chef learned was “if you burn a bridge, learn how to build the next one. And if you are not a bridge builder, then maybe don’t burn it yet.” Sometimes it is not best to end something too quickly, but if you are going to do it at the very least have a safety net. Make sure that the next state you are in, is better than the last. You are putting yourself at more of a disserve by not being prepared for your next move, and if you are unsure on how you are going to do it, take some time to think about it. Try to be prepared as much as you can be for your next steps.

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?
I think my favorite spot in the city is Top Golf. The food is great, I enjoy the games and having a fun time with others. – Josh W.

My favorite spot in the city is a very specific one. I really enjoy Agnes Scott College in generally. The campus is absolutely stunning. But more specifically the area in front of the observatory. It has a great view and it’s a very peaceful area to visit with a friend. – Jlynn W.

The best spot in the city is Atlantic Station. I enjoy all aspects of Atlanta life as it pertains to community and food. And Atlantic station is the perfect representation of that. The people that are there exercise the best parts of Atlanta culturally and socially. It speaks to who we are as a city. – Chef

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?
We want to give big shoutout to our staff. They have been with us since the beginning and have worked hard to bring Chef’s vision to life. As Chef Jai put’s it, “I am nothing without my team.”

Website: https://www.dare2jreaminc.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dare2jreaminc/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dare2JreamInc

Other: For our for-profit business this is our social media: https://linktr.ee/dare2dreampages