Meet Jada Zellner | Culinarian, Barista & Creative Consultant

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

Hi Jada, why did you pursue a creative career?
I just want to start off by saying that it’s super important to have something that sustains you financially. Especially in this time and climate, my goodness. But what makes the money more fulfilling is if it comes from something that you really love to do. I really believe in the “proverb”, make that money, don’t let it make you. And that is a big reason for why I go so hard after what I want. Being creative allows your brain to work in a different way, every single time. It’s so different than sitting in front of a screen doing the same monotonous tasks for someone who doesn’t really care what you’re interested in after your shift. A creative career gives you the freedom to say “No” a lot more which I feel is a major deal breaker. And if you’re an introvert creative, you can make your work box as big or as small and no one tells you that it’s right or wrong. In my case, I chose the career path of food which has so many different elements that make it amazing. I want the liberty to try as many of those elements as I can. I think the biggest thing for me pursuing a creative career is the freedom to do so.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Well where I am currently in my career is definitely a switch up from what I went to school for. I of course have worked almost every position in the food industry. But again with the climate of how some things are since the beginning of the pandemic, I really needed a break from it. So I landed a work from home position, again in customer service, but as an associate for an insurance company. I had no knowledge about anything dealing with insurance until I got here; I didn’t even know about the policy I have now, I just know that I needed one. But what I do know is how to talk to people. I feel like I do a pretty good at reassuring people that I can help them or at least try to. I know that more than just explaining something to someone, they want to be comfortable and confident with what they just learned. And not to brag, but I did get positive reviews from leadership on my personable tactics and my sense of initiative. And honestly, I just believe in talking to people how I would like to be talked to. I think that’s why I have gotten so far and earned the achievements that I have. Human beings deserve to be treated as human beings. Of course you have some people that just don’t want to come down to your level, and that’s fine too. But what I want to bring to all of my businesses and what I want to set me apart is how much I care for what I do and the people involved. Nobody care about what you’re giving out if you don’t.

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.
I think the safest answer to this is to cater the experience to the friend. I have a lot of different kinds of friends and luckily I like a lot of different things. I think it’s important to take your friend’s interests into consideration when doing these types of things. You don’t want the trip to be about you. But I do know the itinerary would be full of restaurants, museums, and plenty of opportunities to get outside in nature.

I would say some of my nice spots that I would show my out of town friends are the typical touristy ones. Some of them include places like The Select, Piedmont Park and the High Museum. But for the life of me I cannot remember the names of my absolutely favorites spots. I’m sorry that’s just how my brain works. I think, ‘I love this, I wanna go there now’. And I just go. I know the name when I’m there but it’s like a dream when I leave. But we for sure would be going to those places during the week.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I love the opportunity that I’ve been given by this production so first and foremost thank you to you all. I truly am grateful for this. I also want to shout out my youngest sister Piper. She has to be one of the biggest mental health boosters that I have behind me. She just reassures me that I’m doing great and that I haven’t failed her as a big sister, ha! I would also like to send a shout out to my boyfriend Zach. I think one of the biggest reasons I connect to him so much is the way he cannot wait for the next food experiment. Anything I feel like I want to try out, he is my biggest fan. And that’s good and bad. he’s just so honest with what I make and I’ve never had any sort of refusal of any recipe. That’s part of my drive, the feeling that I have to just keeping trying because somebody will love it like him. And my biggest shoutout would have to be to the friends and family who were always supportive. The ones that saw what I was trying to do when I didn’t know the words to describe it. The ones that pulled me out of the ‘I can’t do this’ moments. I am so grateful to all of these people in my life.

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