Over the past 15 years, Yum Yum has established itself as the "go-to" boutique catering company for private chef services, full service catering, personalized instruction and consultative/development services.
Our chef team regularly participates in providing media services and content including broadcast and digital on-air appearances, food styling, recipe testing and development.
Vanessa Cantave
Executive Chef, Owner
Shani Porter
Sous Chef, Food Stylist
Melissa Finney
Business Development Consultant
Rob Cantave
IT, Director
Keshia Kyle
Finance
BIOS
Vanessa is the Executive Chef of Yum Yum.
From 10,000 guests at the NFL’s prestigious Tailgate Party, to a private events for a long list of clients, Vanessa’s menus remain consistently refined, yet unfussy.
“Her food boasts high-end flavor, but in a way you’d feel comfortable eating every day.”
–Uptown Magazine
Vanessa is mom to two boys, Christian (6), Sebastien (1) and lives in NYC’s favorite borough, Brooklyn (specifically in the historic neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant).
In July 2011 Vanessa competed and won $20,000 on Bravo’s cooking competition show “Rocco’s Dinner Party” with celebrity chef Rocco Dispirito. Since then, she has been a regular contributor for several media outlets including the Huffington Post, NY Post, Wall Street Journal, Essence Magazine and has been featured on the Cooking Channel, NBC’s The Today Show, The Better Show, Wendy William’s Show, and Fox Business News.
Vanessa hosted her own web series, The Hostess Next Door (2016-2018), providing viewers with home entertaining tips and recipes.
You may also recognize Vanessa as a regular contributor for A&E networks. She creates short-form content for their “Homemade” series which airs on A&E and FYI networks.
Vanessa supports the C-CAP charity organization which works with underserved students in inner city high schools who are seeking culinary careers.
Due to the recent “stay-at-home” orders, these days you can find Vanessa teaching remote interactive cooking classes, creating sponsored content and working on her first digital cookbook.
Vanessa graduated as valedictorian from the French Culinary Institute in New York City. She completed her undergraduate studies at James Madison University and has a B.A. in political science, with a minor in French. She’s held various management positions in finance, marketing and advertising at the FDIC, Federal Reserve Bank, Deutsche Bank and Ogilvy & Mather, respectively with clients including BMW, North America, IBM Global Services and AT&T Wireless.
Shani Porter is the Sous Chef and Food Stylist for Yum Yum.
Shani Porter, a native Brooklynite, got her start at the "famed" LaGuardia HS of Music & Art majoring in Fine Arts. She continued her education by achieving a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from St. John’s University. Within a few months of graduation, she began questioning her career path and searching for ways to pursue her lifelong passion for cooking.
Internalizing the age-old saying, “the proof is in the pudding”, Shani traded her business suit for a chef’s coat. She enrolled in the Culinary Arts program at The Institute of Culinary Education where she perfected her natural talents. Graduating at the top of her culinary class and landing an externship at the elite Abigail Kirsch in New York City. She continued to build her resume with several more impressive boutique companies before joining the Yum Yum team.
Shani’s love for food stems from New York City’s eccentric culture; saturated with differing ethnic backgrounds and the mouth-watering native dishes that accompany them. Infinitely inspired, it’s no surprise that with every new creation, guests take away a better understanding of what Shani stands for. Her culinary flair embodies her passion and love for food while incorporating her eclectic style.
In addition to fulfilling her ardor for meticulously made cuisine, Shani currently works for a non-profit organization, Wellness in the Schools as a WITS-in-residence chef. She has placed herself on the front lines to combat childhood obesity and promoting healthy eating within the school and the community. Shani accomplishes this by educating students and their families on the importance of eating whole, unprocessed foods, and engaging them in workshops that provide steps on how to prepare fresh meals from scratch.