Encouraged by rap-artist-turned-businessman Bun B, Derrick Turton elevated his interest in cooking.
Turton, who was born in Brooklyn, NY, moved to Miami, FL, in 1998 and enrolled in culinary school. Upon graduation, he secured his first job as a line cook at a Red Lobster, according to The New Tropic. However, he disdained his time at the restaurant and made his exit.
“I thought I was going to be a ‘Top Chef,’ and I got my first job at Red Lobster,” Turton told the outlet. “It was either Mother’s Day or Valentine’s Day, and [orders] were coming out of the register [nonstop]. I was just staring at it, and I was like ‘I’m out.’”
He then pivoted, becoming a club promoter, which was his entry into the music scene. As he moved into record label promotion, this put him under the radar of rapper and record executive Luther Campbell, and he began to work for Campbell’s record label, The New Tropic reports. Turton was introduced to Armando Christian Perez, who is widely recognized as Pitbull, and managed the artist for 14 years.
As his stature in the music industry grew, Turton, aka “Chef Teach,” became acquainted with artists, including N.O.R.E., Fat Joe, and Bun B. He began preparing meals for his friends, including a macaroni and cheese dish, Food & Beverage Magazine reports.
“I would cook at the studio for A$AP Rocky, A$AP Ferg, Yung Joc, Pitbull, etc. I would always find ways to get in the kitchen, because it was my happy place. It allowed me to think and be creative,” Turton said, per Forbes.
Bun B, impressed by Turton’s culinary skills, urged him to be more serious about his cooking and even had him prepare signature dishes for his guests.
“I always loved cooking therapeutically, I just didn’t love doing it professionally. But doing it as a restaurant owner vs. a chef working in a restaurant is kind of like a different angle. So I circled back around. A good friend of mine, Bun B from the legendary UGK, he really pushed me to take it more seriously, and I gave him my word,” Turton said during an interview with podcast “Black Ambition.”
Turton also cites the loss of his father in 2013 as another push for him to start his cooking business. In 2014, he created the World Famous House of Mac and opened its first food truck one year later, Forbes mentions. The food truck featured items such as pizza mac and cheese, mango pepper chicken wings, and jerk salmon pasta, the company website lists. Its success led to a second food truck and then the establishment of its first brick-and-mortar restaurant.
By 2019, the Miami-based business had scaled to three stores. However, Turton’s entrepreneurial journey has been met with challenges. COVID-19, inflation, and rent costs caused him to adjust his business model. He tells “Black Ambition” he lost $2 million then gained $250,000 after receiving a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan from the federal government.
Turton shut down his storefront on NW Second Avenue and acknowledges that business hasn’t returned to its pre-pandemic state.
“It’s still pivoting. My location on Second Avenue, we had to shut that down because we were paying $40 a square foot. It went from $40 a square foot, and then when my lease was up, it went up to market value,” Turton told “Black Ambition.” “So now it went up to $70 a square foot. So, they almost doubled my rent. Well it was like ‘Alright I’m out.’”
At the time of this writing, the primary location can be visited at 1951 NW 7th Ave #190, Miami, FL 33136. The company website also mentions, World House of Mac offers catering and ships orders nationwide.
What’s more, the support from industry peers remains evident, including Bun B who visited the establishment in January 2024.
