Chef Aleem is the owner of Plated Pleasures Catering & Event Planning. He was born and raised in Washington, D.C., where his passion for preparing food was birthed in his mother’s kitchen.
After relocating to Atlanta, he received formal training from Le Cordon Bleu. Aleem has attained apprenticeships and international travel with a culinary training focus. He is also a proud dad and spoke with rolling out about fatherhood and life lessons.
From a father’s perspective, what two books would you recommend every child read?
The Autobiography of Malcolm X and The Power of The Subconscious Mind. Those books come to mind when I think of information that young people can use to fill their arsenal as they figure out how to move through life and what things are important to them.
Why is it important to expose children to education and valuable skills?
Education and marketable skills are so necessary. They help create a foundation to be competitive in all aspects of life. Being successful in life depends on if you know how to go out and achieve your goals whatever they may be and chances are that calls for a competitive edge. Just being a better version of yourself tomorrow than you are today is paramount. I am speaking to what is it that you want your life to look like and how aggressively are you prepared to pursue that.
Why should you read every day?
Reading every day is a habit of the wise and the prudent who are the upper echelon. What you read is just as important as the habit itself. On a daily basis, we are bombarded with information. What information is relevant and how are you processing is the difference-maker.
Name one life lesson that no one taught you but should have.
The lesson I wish I had been taught early would have been how to achieve and maintain good credit. The next step would have been how to leverage it in business. Although commendable, a 750 personal credit score is of little use when you have no idea what to do with it.
How important is keeping your word?
Keeping your word is everything. When you have nothing to offer, you still have your word. Keeping your word is a trait of the honorable.
