The Crusader Newspaper Group

Meet Chef Tasha Tanae owner of Innovative Catering and Sweets

Chef Tasha Tanae brings a piquant flavor to your favorite dishes. One might say she reinvents our favorite dishes, which is why the name of her business speaks for itself.

CHEF TASHA TANAEThe passion of cooking started at the early age of 7, when all the kids were looking forward to being outside or playing with friends, Chef Tasha preferred to watch cooking shows and spend time in the kitchen with her grandmother. Raised in Louisiana, Chef Tasha has married southern hospitality with the Midwest’s matchless melting pot, where cuisine has no limits.

While American, Cajun and Creole food are her specialties, Chef Tasha takes pride in making dishes her clients will love, “If you tell me you like shrimp. I can build dishes that will include shrimp. But it won’t be just cocktail shrimp, it could be in the appetizers or sauces.”

Chef Tasha Tanae has been a full-time entrepreneur for 10 years. Coming from an education background, she now teaches the community how to make cooking fun and healthy. From food demonstrations to assisting with meal prep, Chef Tasha has used her own weight loss story to encourage others to make lifestyle changes. “It’s 75 percent of what you eat! I used to be 400 lbs!”

CHEF TASHA TANAE PREPPINGChef Tasha started her relationship with the Gary Art House in 2015. Catering the second community dinner, Home Grown Foods, before the brick and mortar was even actualized.

Chef Tasha took part in the Culinary Business Incubator (CBI) courses in 2017-2018 hosted by the ArtHouse. She raves about the relationships that were cultivated and the lessons she was able to apply to her business. “Before CBI, I was overextending myself. Trying to accommodate everyone for everything. But I learned my lane. And what I needed to allow others to do. You can’t be successful trying to be in the front of the house, back of the house, chef and everything else. I had to learn my role.DISHES ON DISPLAY

And trying to do everything you can burn out fast. So, it put me in a position so that my business wouldn’t fail. It taught me to focus and how to sustain my business.”

Chef Tasha created the Junior Cooks Program for the youth in the community (ages 10-17). She offers two types of courses. One where they have hands on experiences to making healthy meals at home. The other (for ages 13-17) the teens learn techniques and lessons as if they were chefs in a restaurant. To keep the program free, she has partnered with Chef Blaque for the Annual Holiday Taste, Show and Paint event coming up this month. A portion of the proceeds will fund the continuance of the Junior Cooks Program.

The 2nd Annual Holiday Taste, Shop and Paint event will be held on Friday, December 20th from 6:00-10:00 p.m. This event is an opportunity to do holiday shopping locally, eat, paint and even see a Live Cake Decoration Demonstration.

For a unique and innovative twist to your next catered event, contact Chef Tasha Tanae at (219)671-9333 [email protected] Follow her in Facebook and Instagram @cheftashatanae.

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