Inspiring Conversations with Emari Jennings of EJsGreatEats&More + BLACKIS

Today we’d like to introduce you to Emari Jennings. 

Hi Emari, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
Hi, I’m Emari, and my passion is cooking. Literally growing up, I watched my parents and grandparents cook all the time. I have always been a hands-on person when it comes to anything I learn. At sleepovers, I will be the one cooking for my friends and I, and when me and my siblings were old enough, I’d make dinner for us as well. By the way, I am a 26 years old Pisces. I was 15 when I got my first job it was Burger King. Everywhere I’ve worked, I was always in the food industry. Just in the past 4 years, I’ve learned office work, and in the process of that, I always sat around and thought, “what’s next?” I told myself I wanted to start my own business, of course with food, but I wanted more than just that. I decided to create my own brand that is called “BLACKIS LLC.” I hand sketched my own t-shirt design, and I now have: wristbands, hats, scarves, durags, earrings, scrunches, face masks, hair beads, and still building. This became a success throughout the years, I hosted a trunk and shop back in 2020 and that brought me a lot of new customers. This April 2022, I got my bartender license, another great accomplishment. So, with all of this being said, I do personal orders with food and drinks, I cater events, I sell my BLACKIS merch, and with my free time, I create content and try my hands at new things. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I have learned so much in becoming an entrepreneur. You have good days in sales, and you have bad days in sales, but it’s up to you to keep yourself going. I’ve learned that I have to keep a positive mind in order to get great results in business. Promoting myself on social media was pretty tough at first. Some days I get a few shares, some days I may just get 1, and I always told myself, “A share can go a long way.” I’ve always been very well-spoken and a people’s person, so when talking about my businesses, I’m very thorough, and it brings me joy going on and on to people. Being your own boss can sometimes put you in a mood where some days you want to be lazy and, in my opinion, that’s ok if you know how to get back in the groove. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I am a Great cook. I am known for my creativity when it comes to cooking & my flavors. My signature dish is my seafood lasagna, seafood tacos, and breakfast sandwiches. I have my own special sauce and seasoning while still adding. I do couple catering where I prepare a great meal, decor, set up, and more. I do big catering events: birthday parties, weddings, fundraising events & more. My largest catering I’ve done was for 250 people, I bartend events and just an all-out outgoing woman in general. I stand out because yes, I can cook the basics, but I love putting my own twist on things, I love being a creative cook. What makes me proud is seeing people tagging me on social media when others are looking for caterers, I love the feedback I get from returned customers and new, I love that I have blessed hands to be able to feed others, it’s literally my passion. With everything that I shared, I can’t leave this out: I do everything on my own. That’s right, I don’t have a team but I do get help where help is needed as far as prepping, and if I need help cooking something, I don’t mind asking. My goal is to get my own food truck and restaurant, and when I do, I’ll certainly be looking for workers lol. As far as my BLACKIS brand, I have a business Instagram @ejsgreateats_blackis and YES, I ship worldwide. ‘ 

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Being humble, patient, believing, staying determined, putting the work and effort into it all. 

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @ejsgreateats_blackis
• Other: greateats_jordan (tiktok)