Meet Savannah Rogers | Culinary Director & Chef

We had the good fortune of connecting with Savannah Rogers and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Savannah, what’s the most important lesson your business/career has taught you?
The most important lesson my career has taught me is that you determine your own worth. I make it a habit of always hyping myself up with positive self-talk before walking into a meeting or before presenting in front of a group. If you walk into the room feeling extremely confident and looking your best, others will naturally follow your lead. You may be the youngest person on the management team (story of my life) or be the least tenured associate, but if you walk into a room knowing the most about your trade and have the confidence to speak up and ask questions when appropriate, you will be an asset to any company you work for. When I was a teenager, a mentor said something very profound that has influenced how I carry myself ever since… “You don’t have to act your age but instead act your wage.”

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

I have gotten where I am today because of my confidence and ability to learn anything I need in order to succeed in a job. For years, many times I have shown up to interviews and been instantly judged by my interviewers for my age and appearance. I know I am not the only one who has been asked, “You look like you’re not even old enough to be here, are you sure you know enough about this with what little years of experience you bring?” It’s not only women who face extreme obstacles getting their foot in the door, men struggle with the same judgement for the same reasons every day. I overcame this by investing time into my network and making sure that people know who I am before I even walk into a room. Because my network has seen my work ethic and abilities firsthand, they will vouch for me anytime I need them to.

A very true yet misleading piece of advice we have all heard is, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” Well, this is true when interviewing but it’s also extremely important to KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING. Anyone can talk the talk, but you’ll be judged on your walk more than anything.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

If my best friend was coming in town for a week, I would absolutely plan the best week of adventure and food! We’ll start the week off in Dallas, let’s go big with the Perot Museum then a walk through Deep Ellum, stop at Pecan Lodge for a BBQ lunch that will be sure to satisfy that appetite we worked up from walking so much! Then we would go around, see the sights and eat at a nice restaurant like Jose’s on Lovers or CBD Provisions. Day two let’s go to Fort Worth, my stomping grounds. A tour of the stockyards is always fun followed by a refreshment stop over at the most iconic Mexican food establishment in town, Joe T Garcia’s. That evening we would go to the Scat Lounge for a lovely jazz serenade then finish the night at Billy Bobs for the full Texas experience. The rest of the week would be more sightseeing but include a fun hike over at White Rock Lake or Grapevine Lake, maybe visit the wineries of Grapevine and enjoy more live music along the way. As long as the week includes good food, great views, laughter and quality time then it’s a vacation well spent!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

I have had many influential people come into my life and molded me into a better leader, taught me how to cook, how to stay calm under pressure and so on. I would not have gotten to where I am today without a few people taking a chance on me early in my career and caring enough to nurture my passion for hospitality and leadership. I have been most influenced by my grandfather, during his lifetime. Not only was he a young leader in his industry but he was extremely successful and stayed humble his whole career. My grandfather’s success came from the way he treated everyone around him, no matter their status or what he was facing. My family is full of powerful yet compassionate figure heads in business that have shown me by example what it truly means to be a leader.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/savannah-rogers-307942ab

Other: https://www.peoplenewspapers.com/2020/03/23/20-under-40-savannah-rogers/ https://www.discoveryseniorliving.com/press-release/discoverys-christian-steil-savannah-rogers-appointed-to-argentums-2022-lead-program-cohort/