Cooking since the age of 5, Derrick Wilson is still cooking today and showing that he’s more passionate about it than ever. Now with his business, Options Catering, LLC, Wilson offers private chef services, catering, and meal prepping.

Wilson noted that his foundation for cooking started at the age of 5 when he and his mom would cook from cook books every Sunday.

“First thing I made was a pot of spaghetti, granted it was only noodles, onions, and tomato paste, but still I shined. My mom told me at 12 that cooking was my calling, but I didn’t believe her. I thought it was lame to know how to cook at the time. It clicked when I was 17, at my first after school job. I worked for a catering business, and on certain nights you could “free cook” for the monthly board meeting. I was in charge of the vegetables. This was a commercial kitchen, so there were set recipes on how I was suppose to do things, but me being the rebel that I am, I went against the grain and put a little extra seasoning on the veggies. During the clean up process, the head man of the whole building comes down to the kitchen and asked “who made the vegetables?” I ducked behind an oven praying not to be in trouble. My manager hollers my name and he replies “those were the best vegetables I’ve ever eaten before!” At that moment, I knew I had something special,” Wilson said.

I got to the ask Derrick a few questions about Options Catering.

Did you attend school for culinary? If so, what school? If not, how did you learn your skills?

I did not attend culinary school. I attended FNU. Food Network University. lol. I used to stay up long hours watching Emerald on tv. He was definitely the guy that helped me learn what goes with what, and how to cook with love! Plus he was animated and quirky! Also me and my mom would cook from cook books every Sunday! That was my foundation!

What’s your favorite thing between being a private chef for a small number of people, catering big events, and meal prepping? Why?

My favorite of the three is definitely the private dining! It’s a more intimate setting and you can connect with your clients on a deeper level. Explain the dish as you make it, as well as them getting to see your passion up close and personal.

Tell me about your brand, Options Catering. How did you come up with the name?

All my life I’ve never liked to be tied down to one thing. I felt like I was versatile enough to do multiple things. I like to have a choice. One night my sister and I were outside sitting and talking. I asked her what should I name my business, after about 10 seconds of silence, she busted out OPTIONS! Boom, it tells you who I am as a person, so I went with it!

Stay tuned for everything Derrick Wilson has coming with Options Catering. This is only the beginning for the Greenville, Mississippi resident who plans to continuously grow and prosper. “We want to let people know that they can do and be whoever they want to be, and we will express that through our food (art)”, Wilson said.