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

Hi Michael, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
Food Fire + Knives mission from the beginning and what we ask ourselves every single day is, “how can we better the lives of Chefs everywhere.” Our company was and will always be a Chef founded and driven company. We take pride in the diversity and talent of our Chef community. The Chefs are interviewed and fully vetted, including background checks before joining. We understood Chefs miss the camaraderie and social interactions of a traditional restaurant. Through Slack, we’ve re-created a tight-knit community of Chefs willing to assist each other, lend advice, or chat about anything and everything. So whether you continue on the FFK platform or not, you’ll always be a part of our Chef community.

Our Chefs love the support and technology we provide them and each has their own motivation for joining our platform. We typically hire 3 types of Chefs. The first type are restaurant Chefs looking for a side gig. These Chefs only commit 1-2 days a week and sometimes average their weekly salaries. These Chefs love offering some of their current restaurant regulars a more intimate dining experience in their own homes. Having your favorite restaurant Chef in your kitchen is hard to pass up.

The second type of Chefs are those that always wanted to be a Private Chef, their looking to start or grow their own business and/or an outlet from the restaurant industry. These Chefs generally have full commitment, work full time and are very active in our community. Being the incubator for creating dozens of full time Private Chefs is certainly one of my career highlights.

And the third group are those Chefs that have left the industry for good, generally work a full time day job but are struggling to hang up their aprons. These are foodies that have been pulled from the industry for many different reasons but mostly due to spending more time with family. This group is also near and dear to our hearts as we try to satisfy their love for cooking, provide them extra income, all while being able to spend more time with their family.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Food Fire + Knives connects Chefs and hosts for unique and intimate dining experiences. We simplify and bring joy to booking private dining online while offering affordable pricing. We’re currently creating an Android and iOS app while incorporating a subscription and membership program.

We’ve reached success through working with and listening to our Chefs. We treat each Chef as a customer as well as our hosts. I firmly believe that if you love what you do, and you’re doing it for all the right reasons, success will find you.

One of the most important lessons we’ve learned along the way was, it doesn’t matter what you sell, it matters how you sell it. Our core product hasn’t really changed much throughout the years. Sure we’ve done SEO work and run a much larger ad budget, but what has propelled us is our ordering process. The current design is probably the 100th iteration of it. We’re constantly making it better, easier, and faster. We chat with our hosts every day and pivot with feedback. We’ve removed tons of entry barriers including our latest, the ability to chat with your Chef before booking. Our brand is constantly pushing the limits of technology in the form of Point of Sale systems and ordering processes. We refuse to rest or get comfortable with our site.

Our business will forever be under construction to always bring the best in Private Chef dining to our Hosts and Chefs. We understand our Chef’s success is our success and this translates into the one of a kind experiences our customers now expect from us.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
No trip would be complete without BBQ. Lewis Barbecue is my top spot followed up by Swig and Swine for their family platter and drinks. Little Jacks for the best smashburger in the city and then Revelry for some beers. And if it’s Sunday and the Eagles are playing, i’m camping out at Loggerheads on Folly Beach all day.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Kim Gandhi. She is a strong leader, carries and exudes the values of Food Fire + Knives, is constantly learning and expanding her skill set and we’re proud to call her our Chief Operating Officer. She’s help create our community of Chefs and is always there for support.

Website: https://foodfireknives.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foodfire_knives/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-casciello-339ab963/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/foodfireknives

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/food-fire-knives-charleston-2?osq=food+fire+knives+charleston&override_cta=Request+a+Quote

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_bwvDE3TNapTeVxLy1xuKw

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutSouthCarolina is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.