Meet Alysia Dior | Culinary Enthusiast

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alysia Dior and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alysia, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Honestly, I was at the lowest state mentally, emotionally, physically and financially, so my thought process when starting Kiss the Cook in Heels, was that this HAS to work!!! I had a vision, but I always found an excuse of why I couldn’t start! I never had the money, too many personal problems, bad credit, no credentials, seemed like the timing was off, you name it, I thought it! The desire to change my life and leave a legacy that my children could be proud of, was key in me pressing forward in pursuing my dreams!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Kiss the cook in heels came after I had tried many jobs and ventured that just didn’t work! I was on the verge of hopelessness, so I really sat and asked God what it was I was supposed to be doing! I needed purpose at this point! No more unfulfilling jobs! I had gone through an ugly separation from my ex-husband, jumping from job to job because I couldn’t find my way while dealing with depression, and now here I was trying to cope with becoming a single mother! I honestly felt like a failure, so I prayed for a miracle to happen in my life! So to give you a little backstory of how it all began, I lost my job and my home and ended up staying in an extended stay and needed a way to pay for it, however, it didn’t have a kitchen, but I didn’t let that stop me! I asked friends and family to let me use there kitchen so I could begin selling food at local barbershops and hair salons! They were gracious and I was grateful! I needed this to work!!! I moved in with a family member, so now I had access to a kitchen full time, which was awesome! I continued selling “plates” at local barbershops and hair salons, but I was eager to get my kids and I our own home, so I got a job to increase my income. You would think that was a great idea, right? Well, I wasn’t cooking as much because I was working so much at my other job and I wasn’t making the money that I anticipated, so I decided to bet on myself and really focus on being an entrepreneur! I wanted to solve the problem that I had when I was working as a single mother of not really having time to prepare a nutritious meal and spend quality time with my family, eliminating the guilt that a lot of parents feel when they’ve finally got a minute to themselves! Kiss the Cook in Heels was birthed from the desire to help moms and dads to never have to rush through life trying to create a lifestyle that they can’t enjoy! I want them to know that it’s okay to let Kiss the Cook in Heels lighten the load, so that they can be present in the moments that matter most! It has definitely been some mountains along the way! My biggest struggle after deciding what I truly wanted to do, was where I was going to cook all of this food! I was homeless, but I wasn’t letting that stop me! There were many days that I cried and felt like it wasn’t working, but my phone continued to ring with new client opportunities on the other end, so I kept pushing! I wanted to serve my clients in a way that they felt appreciated, so I couldn’t focus on my situation as a reason to give up, I allowed it to motivate me! Kiss the Cook in Heels serves individuals and families delicious and nutritious home cooked meals of food that they want to eat! I provide meal prep, family meal prep, in home personal culinarian services, private dining experiences and also virtual cooking classes coming soon!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We definitely would have gone to the Maxwell concert at Atlanta Symphony Orchestra if it hadn’t been cancelled! I’d take my friend to Slutty Vegan because she’s a vegan and we’d ride the ferris wheel because she’s adventurous! We must go to a Falcons home game at Mercedes Benz Stadium, visit City Winery for live music, Atlanta Comedy Theater, and eat at the Yard House! That’ll be all the hanging out we’ll do, but most importantly, we’ll reminisce about the good ole days, I’ll cook up something yummy for her and we’ll chill at my house and binge watch old movies and play uno with our kids!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Of course, I definitely have the best support system of my family and friends! I love and appreciate them! I have great supporters on Tiktok and Instagram! It’s exciting to see the support of so many while doing what I love to do! I must give a special thank you to my daughters, Trinity and Micah, who help me grocery shop, clean up, package, taste test new recipes and help plan out weekly menus, my sister Alexia Grant, who is the voice of reason, encourager and biggest promoter of KTCIH, all of my besties, Divine Phillips, who is always willing to invest financially because she believes in me and buys everything that I sell without hesitation, Ahmadiyyah Shakur, is always encouraging me to keep going even in rough times and loves my cooking, Skye Berger and Chanel Markland are both successful business owners that help me navigate this new journey of entrepreneurship, my prayer partners that will intercede on my behalf, THIS IS SO IMPORTANT for me! Last, but not least, my very first client who is now a dear friend whom I admire, Juanda Roberts! She and her husband believed in me and trusted me to serve their family and I am so grateful! Each and every person that supports my dreams are a blessing and I honor them!

Instagram: https://instagram.com/kissthecookinheels/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KTCIH/
Other: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMJfUAB9c/