Conversations with Catrina Mills

Today we’d like to introduce you to Catrina Mills.

Hi Catrina, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
“Tell Me About Yourself”- I used to be intimidated by this question ..

When people ask me about my career, I tell them it really started long before I ever held the title of chef.

I grew up in Chicago in a family business. At seven years old, I was helping my mother with her catering company. She catered events for the City of Chicago and high-profile clients, including Reverend Jesse Jackson and events connected with Mayor Harold Washington’s administration. Those experiences taught me that food wasn’t just about cooking—it was about excellence, organization, hospitality, and serving people well.

By the time I was between nine and eleven years old, I was helping run my mother’s carryout restaurant on weekends. I learned customer service, teamwork, problem-solving, and the realities of operating a food business at an age when most children were still discovering their interests. Looking back, I realize I wasn’t just learning to cook—I was learning to lead.

At seventeen, I enlisted in the United States Air Force. During the Gulf War, I served in military intelligence and held a Top Secret security clearance. That experience shaped me in ways that continue to influence my leadership today. It taught me discipline, accountability, attention to detail, confidentiality, and how to remain calm and decisive under pressure.

After my military service, I attended Xavier University as a pre-med student. While I enjoyed the academic challenge, I eventually realized that my passion had always been the culinary profession. Returning to food wasn’t changing direction—it was returning to the path that had been preparing me since childhood.

Over the next three decades, I built a career that extends far beyond the traditional role of a chef. I’ve served as an Executive Chef, General Manager, culinologist, educator, consultant, entrepreneur, and workforce development leader. I’ve led high-volume operations, developed menus, managed multimillion-dollar food and labor budgets, strengthened food safety and regulatory compliance, built training systems, improved profitability, and developed teams that consistently delivered exceptional results.

One of the most unique chapters of my career was serving as comedian Gary Owen’s personal chef for two years. That experience required much more than preparing great food. It demanded professionalism, discretion, flexibility, consistency, and the ability to anticipate a client’s needs while maintaining exceptionally high standards every day. I also provided meal preparation for a former Cincinnati Bengals player, further expanding my experience in personalized culinary services and nutrition-focused meal planning. Those opportunities reinforced that whether I’m serving one guest or one thousand, excellence and professionalism never change.

My career has also expanded into food manufacturing and product development, allowing me to combine culinary creativity with food science, operational efficiency, and business strategy. This led me to develop a line of seasonings and spices.

Teaching has become one of the most rewarding parts of my professional journey. I’ve taught at the Midwest Culinary Institute, Jungle Jim’s Cooking School, and Baker Hunt, helping students build not only technical culinary skills but also confidence, leadership, professionalism, and critical thinking.

One experience that I’m especially proud of was leading the Findlay Kitchen culinary workforce development program in partnership with CityLink Center. That role allowed me to combine my passion for culinary arts with workforce development by helping individuals overcome barriers to employment while developing real career skills. Watching students gain confidence, secure employment, and create new opportunities for themselves has been one of the most meaningful accomplishments of my career.

As an entrepreneur, I founded Taste the World in Cincy and Blown Away Consultants because I recognized that many businesses don’t struggle because they lack talented people—they struggle because they lack strong systems, leadership, accountability, and operational structure. Through my consulting work, I’ve helped organizations improve food safety, compliance, food costing, training, operations, and organizational culture.

If I had to summarize my career in one sentence, it would be this:

I’ve spent my life using food as a way to build people, strengthen organizations, and create opportunities.

Whether I’m leading a kitchen, teaching a classroom, mentoring future culinary professionals, consulting with a struggling business, or preparing meals for a private client, my goal is always the same—to leave people, teams, and organizations stronger than I found them.

That’s the kind of leader I strive to be, and it’s the kind of value I hope to bring to every organization I’m privileged to serve.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Definitely not smooth but I have the discernment to count the challenges and obstacles as lessons never losses. The most difficult being homelessness 9 years ago. A former employer making my coworkers and myself the casualties of a failed business due to their indiscretions (they are currently being investigated for fraud and embezzlement). Dealing with my eldest son needing and receiving a heart transplant 2
5 years ago. Survivor of domestic violence. And probably a few other challenges that may be worth mentioning later.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Most I’ve mentioned already and I would be happy to sharey CV if you think it would help

What’s next?
I am currently 6 weeks post op total right knee replacement from a long life of physical work. I am shifting my focus to consulting, more teaching, and cultivating the next generation of culinary/hospitality professionals.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Chefbeena49
• Facebook: Catrina Mills
• LinkedIn: Catrina Mills
• Youtube: Catrina Mills