@CHEFJAX_

@TROUVAILLE_COFFEECO

Jax's Journal...

My journey with food began long before I fully understood it. From a young age, I knew I had a complicated relationship with food, though at the time I thought that was normal. I tried every food trend and fad imaginable, but nothing truly helped. It wasn't until my early 20's, with some guidance, that I began to understand what actually wasn't wrong with me — and what was wrong with our food system.

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For a short time after college, I lived in North Carolina with a family friend. She was in the process of building her own CSA, sourcing the best foods from local farms. I learned so much from her and her community of foodies about our food system and the deep corruption within it. When I returned home to Florida, I saw food through a completely different lens. It was then that I began connecting many of my own health issues to gluten and to the toxins that have become so common in our everyday diet.

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That same year, I met a someone in Clearwater who ran a gluten-free event center.  We eventually joined forces to help found an award-winning, internationally recognized allergen-free and vegan bakery, known as Halelife Bakery. Over the next ten years, I taught myself everything I could about working with allergen-free ingredients. I developed hundreds of recipes that brought the company its success. During that time, I learned not only how certain ingredients work, but just how important each ingredient is when it comes to outcome. I had to think outside the box and adapt. Through that process I discovered that ingredient knowledge is everything.

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As the company grew, I began to realize just how far I had drifted from the food standards I had set for myself in my 20's back in NC. I started asking myself: if I want to eat a certain way, and I know how harmful processed foods can be, why would I continue building something that supports that path? While allergen-free and vegan food absolutely serves an important purpose, it is also incredibly difficult to avoid heavily processed ingredients in that space. So, I began to envision a different path — one that aligned more honestly with my values. I realized I would never really be able to do that at Halelife because I was investing my soul into someone else's legacy. 

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I really stayed so long because I loved the community I created there. I had been promised ownership, but unfortunately, those promises fell through, and I eventually realized that our paths and values no longer aligned. The environment shifted into a corporate space focused strictly on the bottom line, and I felt the business was losing sight of the people and the actual integrity of the food.

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Honestly, though? That heartbreak was exactly what I needed to finally walk away and build my own space—one built on real truth and purpose for people who are just looking for real food & community. Because let's face it, there are so many of us out here who need a safe place to eat.

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My mom, with her deep love for coffee, inspired me to weave that into this vision, too. And I am the most grateful to my fiancé Tafadzwa, who is my absolute biggest inspiration. He always pushes me forward and believes in me, even on the days I don't believe in myself.

I love you so much potato, thank you for inspiring me every single day.

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I'm also incredibly grateful for the amazing people I’ve met along the way and the talented chefs who have inspired my journey—you might just see some of their faces around the trailer someday (or what's next). If you made it all the way through my little journal, thank you. I really hope to meet you soon, share more of my story, and talk your ear off about my mission to bring mindful & wholesome food, coffee, and more to our community.

Come join our family — what are you waiting for?

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ChefJax