Rashad M. Milton

Rashad Shawn Milton was born on January 26, 1972, to Samaiyah Claudia Mahmoud and the late Grover Wright in Newark NJ at Beth Israel Hospital. He was the youngest of his mother's children and 2nd oldest of his father's children. He attended Maple Ave Elementary school and Weequahic high school in Newark, NJ.  

Rashad is survived by his loving mother Samaiyah Mahmoud, sister Zakiyyah Sheila Flagg, sister Wakeea Thomas, brother Ali Wright, nieces Nia S. Flagg, and BrookeLyn J. Flagg, 2 guardian children Samuel Ayo Oduwale and Ife Oduwale, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins,  family, and many friends. 

As a young child, Rashad had the opportunity to travel on the road with Kool and The Gang.  Robert (Muhammad) Kool Bell Of The Group Kool and the Gang, took Rashad in as his son.  He inspired him to do good as a young child into adulthood.  Rashad loves clowning around and joking with his friends. He was considered the life of the party. His spirit was gentle, kind, and filled with a loving heart. He always cared for family and friends.  Rashad loved fashion and the finer things in life. Everything top of the line and beautiful was his pick.  

Rashad had an interest in the music industry and ultimately formed a group named Paid & Live with his friend Chad Moore. In 1991 Rashad experienced some success from his music career while writing music on other artist albums. The artist Shanice Williams (I Love Your Smile), Lauren Hill (All My Time), Busta Rhymes and Common Sense (Keep it Real - Jamecia remix),  Brian McKnight (Keep It Real – Remix) the Group Escape, The Boys, Too Hot Entertainment and POV (his brother Ewarner Mills group).  Additionally Paid & Live secured major deals with Giant and Polygram records. From these deals, the group released music that received FM radio airplay.  

At the age of 24, Rashad had a devastating car accident that left him paralyzed for the rest of his life. The doctors initially predicted his life span to be 6 months, but with Allah’s mercy, Rashad triumphed over this prediction and lived for 26 years more. 

Rashad, did not let this physical condition limit his ability to pursue his dreams. He wrote and self-published the book “WILL YOU MARRY ME”. He sold the book to many local jewelers and other retail vendors. The books were available online at Amazon and he also sold these books directly to consumers by carrying them in his backpack on the back of his wheelchair. 

He was dedicated! to everything he wanted to do. He dreamt big, chase big, and always aim for the top no matter the circumstances.  After, he wrote and published his first book. He decided he wanted to do something else that he loved the most which were becoming a Sous-Chef, and that’s how the story of “Chef Joy Foods” begin. At first, the product he wanted to have was Pancake & Waffle Mixes. While doing his research he came across the idea of “Organic Maple Syrup” and decided to do that. He had a Grand opening sale event at “Mr. Burgundy Breakfast Luncheonette” and sold out all of his inventory in one day. At that point he realized he wanted to become an entrepreneur and became passionate about running a food company.  

The business was going well and great. His mind and knowledge just began to expand more and more every day. 

One of his favorite sayings was “No Days Off”.  One day he came across a soda bottle at a Japanese restaurant, he loved how it was shaped, and wanted to add sodas to his business.  He wanted it to be specifically “Caffeine Free” and that is how another product was added to the catalog of “Chef Joy Foods”. 

He always loved the sun and did not like the cold weather. At that point, he decided he wanted to move to Florida. His exact word was, Im going “Full Throttle”. His plans were very precise and clear on what he liked. He would say “Do not cheat on the money; Money won’t cheat on you”. 

Rashad would stay up all night just researching and reading all the time to keep enhancing his knowledge. Then he came across the idea of since Chef Joy is a food company wouldn’t it be a good idea to have household appliances. So, he started contacting different technology manufacturers on how he can get his own portable “Blender” and call it “Umme’s Portable Blender”. Rashad and Ayo were great partners together. Wherever you see Rashad, Ayo was right there. They both trusted each other. So, they both designed how the blender was going to look. He was so dedicated that he knew after this blender project he was going to move to Florida. Until he was called by the Higher Powers Alhamdulillah الحمد لله. 

“Don’t Stop When You Tired, Stop When You Done” - Rashad M Milton 

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