How Pitbull's former manager became Miami's mac and cheese king
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Derrick Turton at loanDepotpark. Photo: Martin Vassolo/Axios
Derrick Turton, owner of World Famous House of Mac, pulled off a major career flip in 2014.
- He went from working in the music industry, where he managed Pitbull, to opening a mac and cheese food truck, which eventually spawned five locations.
Why it matters: Twelve years into his reign as Miami's mac and cheese ambassador, Turton is celebrating a new partnership with the Miami Marlins, selling his soul food to baseball fans at loanDepot park for the first time this season.
- We caught up with Turton, aka Chef Teach, to ask him about his journey in the culinary business and how his restaurant has been able to survive COVID and an ever-changing city.
Catch up quick: Turton, who became known for cooking homemade meals in the studio and at post-tour barbecues, was convinced by UGK rapper Bun B to open his own restaurant.
- "He's just somebody who's opinion that I really respect, and I gave my word I was gonna do it. And the funny thing is, through me doing this, it inspired him to do Trill Burgers, [a burger restaurant Bun B started]," Turton says.
State of play: World Famous House of Mac — which ships its food nationwide, counts celebrities among its customers and has been featured on national TV shows — operates out of one physical location in Allapattah after Turton says COVID forced him to close his other storefronts.
- He says the pandemic taught him to save as much money as possible instead of investing everything back into the business, like he had been doing.
- "The reason why I haven't expanded so fast and I've been taking my time now is that I want to really be liquid. And, you know, I just want to be financially strong."
The latest: Turton says selling his food at loanDepot park represents a full-circle moment for him because Pitbull christened the new stadium back in 2011 when Turton was working with him.
- "I opened this arena with Pitbull. We walked through this when they were building it with hard hats, and we were the first performers in Marlins arena when they opened."
The bottom line: Turton may be originally from Brooklyn, but he has strong ties to Miami and relationships with local legends like Uncle Luke and Pitbull.
- "I just want to do my part, you know. I want to just deliver an experience where people come in, they feel at home, but they they can feel a part of the culture of Miami."