Cooking And Coping is a series created by @HungryEditor in early 2020 profiling people on what they are cooking and how they are coping in the world today.
Amber Mayfield Hewett, owner of event company To Be Hosted, founder of While Entertaining Media and … More the WE Gala.
Courtesy of To Be Hosted | PC: Rashida Zagon
Entrepreneur Amber Mayfield Hewett is a force in the event planning and entertaining worlds. In addition to her company To Be Hosted, she is also the founder of While Entertaining Media, the WE Gala, and will be releasing her debut book on a subject she knows best, entertaining, by Artisan Books in 2026.
To Be Hosted started out as a side project while she was climbing the corporate ladder at NBC Universal and Bravo TV. Her supper clubs were a catalyst to turn strangers into friends and meaningful connections all while featuring Black professionals such as chefs, musicians, artists, and creators. To Be Hosted has an illustrious clientele list that includes LVMH, Pinterest, Pepsi, YouTube, Diageo, and Netflix, just to name a few.
The WE Gala is a celebration of Black culture in the food and beverage industry. During the evening one chef from the community is awarded the People’s Choice Chef Award powered by Pepsi Dig In, which includes a prize of $10,000. The 2023 recipient Rasheeda Purdie used the funds to help her start a brick and mortar location of Ramen by Ra.
Benjamin Liong Setiawan: What recipe are you loving right now?
Amber Mayfield Hewett: Chicken and Dumpling Soup recipe by Terence Harvey, the executive sous chef at James Beard Foundation’s Platform. The recipe is featured in WE Magazine Vol. 5.
Chef Terence Harvey (center) at The WE Gala
Courtesy of The WE Gala | PC: Tré Smalls @treybabee
BLS: What do you love about this recipe?
AMH: I never attempted to make a chicken and dumpling soup before, but I love that this recipe is so personal to Terence. He shared a beautiful story about making it for a love interest in our magazine.
BLS: Any special memories connected to this recipe?
AMH: Cooking it for the first time, felt like I was getting to know him a bit more – it made the recipe that much more special. It’s also delicious and a great recipe for a Sunday, when you can take your time and let your mind be present in the process.
BLS: Who do you most want to make this recipe for?
AMH: My cousins. I feel like it would be a great dish to just slurp and reminisce about times at our grandmother’s house.
BLS: Mental health is so important. What are some concerns that occupy your mind?
AMH: When I started To Be Hosted in 2017, it was a small supper club and a side hustle. Since then, it has grown to a boutique event company that is the primary source of income for myself and my employees. It’s been a blessing to do what I love and pursue a career that fulfills so many of my passions, but the responsibility of growth and maintaining consistent work is something that can weigh on me tremendously. There is nothing that really prepares you for the wave of stress that comes with running a business. Especially a business in events and hospitality, which is already a high pressure environment, with tough margins, and some pretty challenging customer expectations. When you match this up with a constantly changing landscape, a struggling economy, widespread layoffs, and so much uncertainty between gigs, it is a constant battle to keep my mind really grounded.
2024 The WE Gala produced by Amber Mayfield Hewett’s company To Be Hosted at Hav & Mar in New York … More City
Courtesy of The WE Gala | PC: Tré Smalls @treybabee
BLS: What are some ways you’re coping with all the stresses of those concerns?
AMH: I pray. I workout regularly – in the morning before anything else captures my attention. I acknowledge the things I can’t change and I maintain a disposition that absolutely everything in front of me is possible. Growing up, I was an athlete. My dad is a long-time high school basketball coach, so in many ways it is natural for me to look at running a business like a sport, and stress management is part of the game. I have a team, and as their captain, my attitude is going to set the tone so I have to take care of my mental health and keep healthy habits even when the pressure is cooking. I study the things I’m up against. I stay aware of other players in our field. I take our wins as confidently as I take our losses and I accept that winning and losing are part of the game. This is a mindset that helps me cope.
BLS: What are you doing to keep your peace?
AMH: I think peace is protected by discernment. It’s become my policy to only do the things that I can do from a place of immediate joy. If I hear it and I hesitate, if it feels forced, if it feels too obligatory, I say no. I’m this way with new business opportunities and in my social dealings. It’s how I keep my peace.
BLS: What are you doing to stay creative?
AMH: I go for long walks. I try new things. I go to restaurants and find new experiences. I also try to break my routines so I get a change in perspective.
Guests at 2024’s The WE Gala located at Hav & Mar in New York City
Courtesy of The WE Gala | PC: Tré Smalls @treybabee
BLS: What are you doing to stay connected?
AMH: By gathering with people I love as often as I can! I love making dinner plans with friends or calling a friend during a long walk.
BLS: What have you been learning recently?
AMH: Patience.
BLS: What changes do you hope to see in the future?
AMH: More kindness. More empathy. More understanding.
BLS: What do you see is the best way for change to happen?
AMH: At the dinner table. When you sit down with people for 2 hours, you either find common ground or it’s terribly awkward.
BLS: What rhythms are you trying to implement in your life?
AMH: Balance! I work almost every day for at least 10-12 hours. I think about my company every day for most of the day. And in times of high stress or uncertainty, it is even harder to back away from my laptop. I love what I do, and I love how we’ve grown, but my goal this year is to be really intentional about closing my laptop and enjoying the simple things. My work is always better when I have time to rest and rejuvenate.
Rasheeda Purdie of Ramen by Ra and winner of the 2023 The People’s Choice Chef Award Powered by … More Pepsi Dig In at 2024’s The WE Gala.
Courtesy of The WE Gala | PC: Tré Smalls @treybabee
BLS: What projects are you working on?
AMH: When I am not planning parties, I am writing about them. I am working on my debut entertaining book with Artisan.
BLS: What has been inspiring you most lately?
AMH: My team and their resilience. I love watching them work together, help each other, voice their opinions, and bring their ideas to life. I deeply admire the way they can do great work for our company and clients, while pursuing their own dreams. Alia is an actor, Mia is a singer, Jasmin has a photo studio, and Athena is talent manager and a mom! The ability to do many things, and bring those unique perspectives to the things we all do together, leads to so many interesting and inspiring ideas.
BLS: What gives you hope for the future?
AMH: Watching people come together and embrace strangers at our dinner parties. On the surface, planning parties and hosting a supper club can seem like really frivolous work, but gatherings can show us the magnitude of our communities and remind us that we really are all in this together – and that is how we will get through whatever comes our way.
Brittney “Chef Stikxz” Williams winner of 2024 The People’s Choice Chef Award Powered by Pepsi Dig … More In at last year’s The WE Gala with Tiffaine Stephens and Amber Mayfield Hewett.
Courtesy of The WE Gala | PC: Tré Smalls @treybabee
BLS: Who are 3 people you think we should interview next?
AMH: Aretah Ettarh, the Chef de Cuisine of Gramercy Tavern
The Davenport Sisters, of BEM Brooklyn
Marc Farrell, the founder of Ten To One Rum
You can follow Amber Mayfield Hewett’s work at @ambb_mayy, @ToBeHosted, and here.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Find Benjamin Liong Setiawan on Instagram: @hungryeditor.