From the Trenches to the Top: A Chef's Story

Bryant “Chef Baul” Williams was at the top of his field, traveling the world as a celebrity tour chef for the hip-hop group MIGOS and cooking for entertainers such as Cardi B., Kendrick Lamar and Tyler Perry. After lighting ablaze the culinary industry through his first business, Chef Baul Catering, in 2019, he was set to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant. What was supposed to be a blessing became a nightmare. He was cheated out of the deal, lost his savings and ended up homeless.

His girlfriend, now wife, Daniella “Ivy” Williams, a former celebrity hairstylist and founder of The Ivy League Academy, relit his hope and encouraged him to remember his foundation – his love and passion for cooking. In 2023, the pair opened a luxury soul-food takeout place called Binky’s Eatery in downtown Atlanta’s Historic Five Points Plaza. This March 2nd, the husband and wife duo are gearing up to launch their second restaurant next door, Betty Sue’s, an all-day brunch concept. The pair shared Chef Baul’s journey with Beyondish and how Daniella’s influence shapes their businesses.

Chef Baul, your grandmother Betty Sue was a chef to legendary boxer Leon Spinks. What was it like being in the kitchen with her?

I was about eight or nine years old when I started watching her. She didn’t cut corners when it came to using fresh ingredients. It was all smiles, love and happy vibes in the kitchen. She would have some good music playing. I get that from her.

What was the path that led you to becoming a celebrity chef?

Growing up, I didn’t think I would be a chef, but I was raised around the love for the kitchen and food. I started at an upscale restaurant in downtown Atlanta, learning different techniques and mastering all stations. After being there for 2-3 years, I felt stagnant. That’s when I met a chef who worked for Justin Bieber. He took me under his wing and showed me the private chef life. That opened my eyes to other opportunities.

You were on top of the world, cooking for some of the top entertainers. You were set to launch your restaurant and then cheated out of the deal. Talk to me about some of the emotions you were going through.

It was a lot. The main thing I dealt with was depression. You have to pick yourself up. I had to go through a whole transformation. I got more serious about my health by going vegan for almost a year and a half, and I just tried to change my thoughts. I had to start being a shark in business, not a fish.

How did you pull yourself up?

I told myself that Atlanta is my city. I wasn’t going to let anyone run me out of my city. It took a lot of prayer, and of course I had support from my wife. She was my girlfriend back then. I had to have the right people around me, create a new plan and not give up. It took the grace of God and mercy to pull me back together so I could be who I needed to be for the world.

How did you become comfortable and open to talking about your mental health publicly?

If someone went through what I went through, you get to that point where you don’t care about what anybody says about you. That comes with being great. I had to tell myself I don’t care what people think because I know who I am and the God I serve. It just comes down to those two things right there. You have to have confidence in yourself. I had confidence in myself before the restaurant. They didn’t take my confidence. It just built my confidence up. Telling my story can help other people.

You have a soul food restaurant called Binky’s Eatery. Your upcoming brunch spot, Betty Sue’s, will honor your grandmother. Will you incorporate any of her iconic recipes?

The way that I make my grits. My grandmother’s grits were always creamy, savory and rich. That’s one of the main things we specialize in because we use my line of stone ground grits. The way we approach our food [like how my grandmother cooked] with love and passion behind it.

Photo: Madelynne Ross

Daniella, how did you start working with your husband?

This all started when we began dating, and he lost his restaurant. I convinced him to move to Miami and said one day we’ll open a restaurant in Atlanta and name it after your grandma since your grandma inspired you. When we moved to Atlanta, I took the initiative to reach out to someone to look for a space for us. We were presented with two restaurants instead of one. I told my husband to name the first one after his dad and the second after his grandma.

[Daniella]: What was your influence in launching this new restaurant?

I helped with ideas of what we should serve, the marketing and branding down to the logo, the color scheme and what we want our customers to feel or the experience that I believe our customers should have when they walk in. I helped fund the business and the operational backend, including the employee handbook and the uniform. I don’t have a food background, but I grew up eating different food and I’m a foodie, so I gave him my input based on my childhood and adulthood experience eating and trying food.

[Daniella]: What will your role be once Betty Sue’s opens?

I cook with him from time to time, and I can play any position in the restaurant. Wherever he needs me, I fulfill the job and give it my all. He trained me up. The minute we got together I automatically became his assistant. When he would do catering, I would send invoices to the clients. I would make sure he’s on time. I help him with grocery shopping and prepping the food. He trusts me to cook certain dishes without his help.

[Daniella]: How do you balance being married and working together?

It’s easy. We know when we’re in the kitchen together we have goals. The food has to taste and look good and be on time. So we’re locked in when we’re in the kitchen. You can tell we’re a couple because the love is there. You can feel it, but we know [when we’re in the kitchen] we’re handling business. We don’t have time for negativity. We tune everything out and lock in. It’s normal for us right now.

As Black Americans, we often share the nostalgia of our childhoods. Chef Baul, how do you hope people receive the combination of dishes and flavors you grew up on?

I think they will love it because we’re in Atlanta and our dishes are southern comfort dishes that I was raised on, like the salmon croquettes and grits, smothered beef liver and grits, cheese eggs and grits. Little things like our fruity pebbles french toast. I think that’ll bring back memories from our generation’s childhood. We want it to be for everybody. We want everybody to feel comfortable and welcome. Betty Sue’s is a haven, a place of nourishment and peace. We want you to feel like you went to eat at your grandmother’s house.