The Chef in Black Salad Dressing Update | Shark Tank Season 1

Dorene Humason, after years of long and stressful shifts in the food industry, recognized a gap in the market for a high-quality, all-natural Chinese salad dressing. Inspired by the lack of such a product, she was motivated to create her own recipe, which led to the creation of The Chef in Black. Will she earn a deal? Find out in our The Chef in Black update and pitch recap.

If you’re short on time, here’s a quick overview of what happened to The Chef in Black after Shark Tank.

Dorene entered Shark Tank Season 1, seeking $50,000 for 10% equity in The Chef in Black. After her pitch, she reached an agreement with Barbara Corcoran for $50,000 for 35% equity.

In terms of The Chef in Black update, the business saw early success after their episode aired, but packaging issues eventually led to the shutdown of the business.

Shark	Result
Barbara Corcoran	Accepted offer of  $50,000 for 25% equity
Kevin O’Leary	No offer
Daymond John	No offer
Kevin Harrington	No offer
Robert Herjavec	No offer

Shark Tank The Chef in Black Pitch

• Entrepreneur: Dorene Humason
• Business: Chinese inspired salad dressing
• Ask: $50,000 for 10% equity
• Result: $50,000 for 35% equity
• Shark: Barbara Corcoran

Dorene entered Shark Tank alongside her daughter Brooke hoping to convince the sharks to invest in her line of California-Asian fusion salad dressings.

She sought an investment to scale production and expand distribution, with a goal to bring her signature flavors to a broader market.

The Chef in Black is a food brand that blends Californian and Asian culinary influences. It offers bold and exotic tastes for everyday meals.

The brand’s products fill a market need for high-quality, versatile salad dressings with an Asian twist. 

They are made to enhance a variety of dishes and appeal to consumers who enjoy Asian cuisine or want to explore new flavors.

The dressings are particularly popular among home cooks seeking a convenient way to add a distinctive flavor to their salads and other meals.

During her pitch, the sharks sampled the product and enjoyed it but expressed concerns about brand confusion.

Dorene explained her plans to expand the business by developing new recipes. She highlighted the dressing’s versatility, noting that it could be used as a rub or stir-fry sauce.

Despite the positive feedback, Kevin Harrington and Robert Herjavec both opted out, citing a confusing business model.

Daymond John expressed concerns about the market’s competitiveness and also decided not to invest.

Kevin O’Leary shared similar concerns, fearing competitors would overshadow Dorene’s product.

However, Barbara Corcoran admired Dorene’s determination and offered $50,000 for 40% equity, contingent on Dorene focusing on a single product.

Dorene countered with  $50,000 for 35% equity, which Barbara accepted, and Dorene left with a deal.

Let’s quickly get a The Chef in Black update after Dorene’s appearance on Shark Tank.

Shark Tank The Chef in Black Update

After airing, the deal with Barbara Corcoran never materialized because Dorene insisted on continuing with her bottled dressing line.

Despite the amicable split, our The Chef in Black update found that Dorene rebranded her product to The Chef in Black California Asian Fusion Dressing. 

Furthermore, she also expanded distribution to over 2,000 stores, including Walmart.

Despite the initial success, the company faced challenges with packaging issues that led to a significant drop in profits.

Our research on The Chef in Black update revealed that the business couldn’t sustain itself and ceased operations in September 2016.

Unfortunately, this is our final The Chef in Black update.

Would you like to find out more about the other companies that appeared on Season 1 Episode 11? Follow the links below for a detailed update on them.

• Romp n’ Roll Update
• Hells Bells Update
• The Twister Update
• Ink Flip Update

Before you go, check out our Shark Tank Season 1 page for more updates.