Meet Doc Ervin | Personal Chef, Caterer, Executive Chef

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

Hi Doc, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
I first learned how to cook when I was 11 from my mother and grandmother. I was what you considered a “latch key kid”. My very first job washing dishes in a kitchen and occasionally the head chef would show me a thing or two. After going to college, a career in radio & entertainment as a DJ, I wanted to do something different and my love for food was calling out to me. I went to culinary school and started immediately out of the gate with a head chef/manager position. I still was not satisfied. I was building someone else dream and not my own. So I decided to leave and go out on my own as a personal chef. Fancy dinner parties and private events are great, I love the creativity afforded to me to showcase my craft but I needed to do something more. With my own health being momentarily challenged, I had to change what I eat, after all food is medicine. This was the final piece of my business. I wanted to provide services for individuals and/or families who might find it challenging creating meals consistently with food sensitivities, dietary restrictions, and/or health considerations. During the pandemic, my business flourished and still continues to grow through meal preparations, dinner parties, cooking classes, catering, and teaming with wellness providers. I went back to my early childhood memories to craft and create what I have today.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Good food is like good music, it feeds the soul. As a DJ, I invoke feeling into the crowd taking them to whoever I want them to go. I prepare food with “love”. Invoking the feeling of “home cooking”. Like mixing records, I mix flavors that excite the palate. I create artistic plates that are pleasing to the eye. What sets me apart is that my food makes you move just the same as me making people move on the dance floor. My company Good Eats By Doc, is just that. Getting to where I am today was not easy. It took a lot of trial and era, dedication, drive, and passion. I overcame obstacles with perseverance and faith. I learned to put faith in myself, align myself with individuals who wanted me to succeed and vice versa, also to have confidence in my brand. I want the world to know you can reinvent yourself at any given point and time.

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.
Eat: Hal’s Steakhouse, Chops Lobster Bar, Two Urban Licks Hangout: Krog Street Market, The Beltline, Ponce City Market, MJQ

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Persons: My grandmother aka “Mother”/ My Pop: Leroy McRae Mentor: Chef Veedam Clemente
Organizations: The Atlanta USPCA
Book: The Alchemist

Website: www.goodeatzbydoc.com

Instagram: DJDOC22

Twitter: DJDoc_Erv

Facebook: Doc Ervin