08/17/2026
Hey guys, it’s me, Kees Kees. 💜
LONG POST ALERT!
I want to be as transparent as possible with my Royal Patrons.
First, I want to thank my husband, my children, and my niece for taking the time to help me prepare and set up so beautifully for the Raleigh CaribMask Caribbean Carnival. A special thank you to my daughter Kayla, who handled the health inspectors, provided every piece of information they requested, walked them through our setup, and made sure we had everything we were supposed to have.
And WE DID!
Our setup was correct. Our packaging was correct. Everything was in place.
The issue was the food temperature. Both the beef and chicken were reading higher than they were supposed to be reading.
When I found out we could not vend, I completely fell apart. I bawled like a baby. I felt like I failed. I was devastated because if you know me, you know how I prepare. I check every box, then I go back and double-check them again. I came prepared with an entire folder containing everything they could possibly ask me for.
And I also want to make this clear, KJB Royal Seed Kuisine is not new to this. We vend at events locally throughout Georgia, and we travel regularly to places like Orlando, Jacksonville, Charlotte, and even as far as Houston, Texas for Bottle Fete. We have passed health inspections, received our permits, and remained in compliance while vending in different cities and states.
That is why this situation hit me so hard.
The inspector told us everything else was perfect and actually advised us to go back and check the refrigerator at the commercial kitchen because the temperature of the food did not make sense.
Before turning in the key, we did exactly that. The refrigerator displayed 34°F, but the case of chicken that had been sitting inside was reading 55°F. That was when we realized the refrigerator we had been provided to use was not properly keeping the food at temperature.
We were given the opportunity to go back and prepare everything again, but after everything we had already put into preparing for that day, I simply did not have it in me to start completely over.
I still had another obligation to fulfill, so I had to pull myself back together. I was responsible for preparing and handling the food for the troop members, and regardless of how broken I felt in that moment, I had a job to finish.
So I cried, I pulled myself together, and I finished what I came there to do.
Last night, one of my friends, who is also a business owner, reached out to me. She told me she had been looking for me, then saw what happened and felt terrible for me. But she also told me something I needed to hear.
She said, “Anything can happen in business, no matter how hard we try to avoid certain situations. What matters is how you deal with it afterward. Pick yourself up and keep going, because you know who you are and what you’re about.”
And she was right.
Was it okay? No, not really. It hurt. But I’m going to be okay.
To everyone who called, messaged me, or came looking for KJB Royal Seed Kuisine, THANK YOU. 💜 Thank you for believing in me & supporting me. Continue to look for us.
This one hurt me deeply, but it did not break me.
Raleigh, I’ll see you next year. 💜
