Cooking with God and My Best Friend

I felt this burning desire today to write to all those who support me and those who may eventually find the Social Chef some how. So many things in my life have transpired in the last 4-months that it is nothing short of a miracle. I won’t go into my 21-day prayer and fast that I did with my church, you can read that here if you want to understand my miracle and how this all came about. If you have read it and have been following what I’ve been doing the last 4-months, seldom did a day go by in which I hadn’t pursued my passion for culinary.

In the kitchen of the Social Chef with Isa Souza

They say where your heart is it will reflect on what it is that you do on a daily basis. I never got into all the details on the things that had transpired to get me to where I am today with my whole Social Chef Blog and Facebook page. It just sort of hit me this morning lying in bed watching the rain. I started this Social Chef thing with only a vision, a desire, my faith and my best friend who believed in me.

During my 21-days of prayer and fast I had dove straight in and within 10-days created a blog. That may not seem like much but considering I have no web design skills, have no clue what html is and other things one might need to create a blog, I spent countless hours researching and doing. I had often spent hours with online tech support from the place in which I purchased my blog template. I know computer people who could have done that same task that tech support showed me in about 10-minutes maybe less. However, I am 100% positive had I hired someone to do what I did they would still be working on it. Plus I had the vision of what I wanted and the time I put into it was nothing short of pure passion.

However, on the 10th day of my fast I had run into a roadblock. My passion had one problem, how could I make money doing it? I was recording video’s, editing them, taking photo’s and perfecting my blog. My idea of the social chef was originally simply to engage with other food lover’s, have people who enjoy cooking to come share my kitchen with me or maybe I would travel to them and share their kitchen then of course share the wonderful meal. I would record it some times and other times I would not. But my friend Catherine told me to record myself on video to see if I had the ability to engage and keep peoples attention. So on the the 10th day of my fast I was leaving my favorite place Bedner’s Farm where I buy all my fresh produce and sat in the car and it hit me…how the hell will I make money doing this?

I decided to call my very best friend Eddie. Someone that has always been my feedback for any ideas I may have. He has been successful beyond anyone I personally know and will always offer me advice even though more often than not, I don’t always like his advice, but I totally respect it. I hate that he’s always right. When I sat in the car and told him my vision there was a short period of silence which seemed like an hour. He said you know Michael, you have some of the craziest ideas but I will say one thing, you are always moving. He then said something I really didn’t expect. You know buddy…I think you have something. I of course replied bewildered with a, really? He said Michael, you are a great photographer and you love it, you can certainly speak you’ve done it on stage for 10-years, you love to write and you love people. Your cooking is pretty good so I think while your idea is right up your alley you have one problem…how are you going to monetize it? I said I know, I haven’t figured that out. He immediately said what does your friend Isa think of this idea? I said I haven’t even told her. Well you need to get in your car and head to Miami and ask her, if she doesn’t know then no one will.

Isa Souza Master Chef, host and owner of TV Cooking Show, Isa Vida y Sabor

So I immediately sent a text to her and she replied later that day saying I am in Chicago at a cooking show and sent me a text image with her and Emeril Lagasse. I just smiled and saying to myself…noooooo wayyyyyyy!!! I asked when she would be back I needed to talk to her. She was coming back in a few days but not even home 24-hours and then taking her daughter to Vermont skiing. So I had to wait another week. She sent me a text when she arrived home telling me to meet her tomorrow in Miami for lunch. I drove to Miami and we waited in line to eat because if you know Isa eating is an experience and she had to have a table outside and in a certain area. Only a food lover does that. While we stood in line she was telling me all the things going on and I was so anxious to tell her but I waited and heard her tell me all the things going on in her life. Finally we sat and she said, so what is it that is so important you had to meet me? I told her do you remember when we first met at that party in Miami? I had no idea who you were or what you did. We became friends on FB and then I looked at your Fb page and you were a TV Chef with your own show. Do you remember me sending you emails telling you I want to be on your show? You never replied because you probably thought I was trying to date you. She said no, my show is in Spanish and you don’t speak Spanish. Well, all those times you came to my house and cooked you only heard me tell you I love to cook but you insisted on doing everything so I let you be. So I have been on this fast Isa and through prayer I have found something I am very very passionate about. She gave me a look only Isa can give and said, okay and…what is that Michael? I said hold on, I’ll show you. I handed her my phone, which had some youtube videos I had done. I sat back and watched and within minutes a HUGE smile came over her face and then what I didn’t want to hear…her laughing. I said what’s so funny? She just smiled kept watching and said…Michael…this is so nice. Isa, I love doing this but what do you think? Michael…you’re really good, you need to be on TV? You cannot imagine how that made me feel. But Isa, my idea wasn’t TV I am asking how I can pursue what I love and make money doing it? Trust me Michael…I’m your friend and I would never steer you wrong.

So we parted and Isa left that day for South America and said when I return we are going to cook together. We did and after it was all over and I edited it then posted on youtube she contacted me saying, Michael, we are so good together. But we need to do a few more then do some TV pilots. So as time went on and Isa as always traveling all over the world, I waited as patiently as I could for her return. I never lost focus and I continued to cook. I continued to take photo’s, a few more videos and just waited for her and I to cook together. Soon she was off again and what was to be a 4-week trip ended up being an 8-week trip. Then finally it happened. We have done a few things in which I will save the details for later. Obviously if you’ve been following me on my FB Social Chef page you have seen first hand what has transpired. Now I am off to Brasil and then Italy and I will continue to pray that this is just the beginning. We are a perfect team. That is because we are best friends who have the utmost respect for each other, are willing to do whatever we can to help each other in any way we can in our professional lives as well as our personal lives. Plus we are food lover’s who really enjoy sharing it with others. She has been a rock in my life like God has been my cornerstone. They say everything happens for a reason, that people come into your life for a reason. We were destined to meet and God has given me a great friend. And because we both have a story of ups and downs we both listen to each other and together rely on each other that only a true friend ever could or would do.

So here I am about to embark on this thing that I prayed about and I went into with nothing but sheer faith. I truly believe that the things that transpired in those 21-days of prayer and fasting were a miracle. Because my friend Catherine who pushed me to go for it, the website I created with no skills at all, the energy God gave me every day to just do it with no hesitation, my friend Isa that I met on Halloween who became one of my best friends in such a short time who just believed in me, all this can only happen because of God.

All my personal friends in my life have noticed an entirely different person in me. I have such enthusiasm and have a real purpose. So what is that purpose? The purpose is for others to believe that they have gifts. That if you really just turn your back on whatever your problems are and turn to God that He will direct you. But only when you just have such a strong faith and no matter how bad things may be that you simply believe God will do what is best for you. During those 21-days He could have taken me down a different path but He chose this path and I chose to work every day on that in which He lead me. So I am going to share my passion with the world but more importantly how God took me down this path.

The moral of the story is that when you have a faith so strong that you know God will lead you to better pastures even when it seems impossible and you don’t stop and question why is He doing this to me? You just smile and know it’s in His hands…that it’s going to be just perfect, that is faith. The moment you question Him you have lost your faith in His ability to always do what is right for you. I hope you stay tuned into the Social Chef and I hope you follow Isa and I as we share this new venture.

Oh, and one more thing, today is July 16th. I started my 21-day prayer and fast this very same day 4-months ago.