The Chef in Black Inc Net Worth Shark Tank Update 2025

Dorene Humason worked in the food industry for many years. She had long shifts and stressful days. She loved food but noticed a problem. There was no good Chinese salad dressing in stores. Most dressings were full of artificial ingredients. She wanted something natural and full of flavor. She decided to make her own. She created a dressing with bold flavors. It was inspired by California and Asian cuisine.

Her goal was to bring something new to the market. She believed many people would love it. She called her brand The Chef in Black Inc..Dorene wanted to grow her business. She needed money to expand. She wanted to reach more stores. She also wanted to improve packaging and marketing. She went on the TV show Shark Tank. She hoped to get an investment.

She asked for fifty thousand dollars for ten percent of her business. She shared her story and passion. The sharks listened and asked many questions. Will the entrepreneur get a deal on Shark Tank? Check out The Chef in Black Inc. update to find out!

The Chef in Black Inc Net Worth Shark Tank Update 2025

Dorene Humason went on Shark Tank asking for $50,000 for 10% of her company. This meant she thought her business was worth $500,000. She did not make a deal with any Shark. The Chef in Black later ceased operations in 2016. The episode was aired on January 8, 2010, so the current net worth of The Chef in Black is $0 in 2025.

After Shark Tank, the business gained attention. More people learned about the product. Sales increased. Dorene rebranded the product. She called it The Chef in Black Inc. California Asian Fusion Dressing. It was sold in more stores. It reached over two thousand locations. Walmart carried it. Other big retailers carried it too. The company was growing.

It seemed like a success story. Then the problems started. The biggest issue was the packaging. There was a design flaw. Some customers did not like the look. Others found the label confusing. Some stores pulled the product from shelves. This hurt sales. Profits started to drop. Dorene tried to fix things. But it was difficult. The business could not recover. In September 2016, it shut down.

The dream ended, but the journey was important. Dorene worked hard to bring something unique to the market. Her product had great flavors. It had high-quality ingredients. Many customers loved it. However, challenges in branding and packaging caused problems. The business is no longer running today.

Dorene went on Shark Tank with her daughter Brooke. They wanted an investment. They asked for fifty thousand dollars for ten percent equity. They explained their business. They showed their passion. The sharks tasted the product. They liked it. But they had concerns. Kevin Harrington thought the marketing was not clear. He felt the branding was confusing. He did not invest.

Robert Herjavec also decided not to invest. He believed the food industry was too risky. Daymond John did not see a strong opportunity. He went out. Kevin O’Leary liked the dress. But he thought competitors would be a problem. He decided not to invest. Barbara Corcoran saw potential. She liked Dorene’s passion. She believed the dressing had a market. She made an offer. But she wanted more equity.

She asked for forty percent. Dorene countered. She offered thirty-five percent. Barbara accepted. It seemed like a good deal. But after the show, things changed. The deal never happened. Dorene and Barbara had different ideas. Barbara wanted Dorene to focus on dry seasoning mixes. Dorene wanted to continue selling bottled dressings. They could not agree. So the deal fell apart. The company moved forward without Barbara’s investment. 

Shark(s) name	Offer & Demand	Counteroffer	Accepted?
Barbara Corcoran	$50,000 for 40% equity	$50,000 for 35% equity	Yes
Kevin Harrington	Out	N/A	N/A
Kevin O’Leary	Out	N/A	N/A
Daymond John	Out	N/A	N/A
Robert Herjavec	Out	N/A	N/A

The Chef in Black Inc Shark Tank pitch

Dorene Humason loved food. She worked in the industry for many years. She had long shifts. She had busy days. She saw many products. But she noticed something missing. She saw that there was no great Chinese salad dressing. Most dressings had artificial ingredients. They did not have bold flavors. She wanted something better. She started experimenting in her kitchen. She mixed ingredients. She tried different flavors.

She tested her dressing on friends and family. They loved it. They encouraged her to sell it. She decided to start a business. She called it The Chef in Black Inc..Building the business was not easy. There were many challenges. She had to create the perfect recipe. She had to find the right ingredients. She had to figure out the packaging. She had to market the product. She also had to compete with bigger brands.

It was a lot of work. She spent three hundred thousand dollars of her own money. She believed in her product. She wanted it to succeed. She got her dressing into stores. It started selling. But things got harder. There were branding issues. There were packaging issues. She had to make changes. She needed help to expand. That is why she went on Shark Tank. She hoped to get an investment. She wanted to grow her business. She had a great idea. But she needed support.

Dorene and her daughter walked into the Shark Tank. They were excited. They were also nervous. They introduced themselves. They explained their business. They shared their passion. They talked about the product. The Chef in Black Inc. was a bold and flavorful salad dressing. It had a unique mix of California and Asian flavors. It was all natural. It was gluten-free. It had no artificial ingredients.

It was different from other dressings. Dorene asked for fifty thousand dollars. She offered ten percent equity. She wanted money to grow. She wanted to improve packaging. She wanted to increase marketing. She wanted to expand into more stores. The sharks listened. They tasted the dressing. They liked the flavor. But they had questions. They had concerns. They were not sure about the business model.

They were not sure about the branding. They were not sure about the competition. Then Barbara made an offer. She saw potential. She liked Dorene’s passion. But she wanted more equity. She asked for forty percent. Dorene countered. She offered thirty-five percent. Barbara agreed. It looked like a good deal. But after the show the deal did not happen. There was a disagreement. Dorene wanted to keep her bottled dressings. Barbara wanted to focus on dry seasoning mixes. They could not agree. The deal fell apart. Dorene kept going without Barbara’s help.

The sharks had many questions. They wanted to know about sales. They wanted to know about profit. They wanted to know about branding. They wanted to know about packaging. Dorene shared that her product was in twelve hundred stores. She said sales were growing. But she did not give exact profit numbers. This made some sharks hesitant. They also asked about packaging. They wanted to know why there was a past issue.

Dorene explained that the original design caused problems. Some customers found it offensive. She had to change it. This hurt sales for a while. They asked about competition. The food industry is very competitive. There are many salad dressings. They wanted to know what made The Chef in Black Inc. different. Dorene explained that her dress had bold and unique flavors. She believed it would stand out.

The sharks were interested. But they were also cautious. Some of them decided not to invest. They thought the business had risks. They thought the branding was unclear. They thought it was hard to compete in the food market. Barbara Corcoran was the only one who made an offer. She liked Dorene’s determination. She believed the product had potential. But she wanted Dorene to focus on dry seasoning mixes. Dorene did not want to. This caused problems after the show. The deal never happened.

The sharks had different opinions. Some liked the product. Some did not. Some liked the business model. Some had concerns. Kevin Harrington thought the marketing was unclear. He decided not to invest. Robert Herjavec thought the food industry was too risky. He also decided not to invest. Daymond John did not see a big opportunity. He went out. Kevin O’Leary liked the dress. But he thought competitors would be a problem.

He decided not to invest. Barbara Corcoran was the only one who made an offer. She believed in Dorene. She saw potential. But she wanted more equity. She asked for forty percent. Dorene countered. She offered thirty-five percent. Barbara agreed. It seemed like a great moment. But after the show things changed. The deal did not go through. Dorene and Barbara had different ideas. They could not agree. So the business moved forward without Barbara’s investment.

What Went Wrong With The Chef in Black Inc.  On Shark Tank?

Some sharks did not invest. They had reasons. Robert Herjavec and Daymond John thought food was a risky business. They did not want to take the risk. Kevin Harrington thought the product was confusing. He did not see a strong focus. Kevin O’Leary worried about big competitors. He thought it would be hard to succeed. Even though Barbara made an offer the deal did not go through.

Dorene wanted to keep selling bottled dressing. Barbara thought she should focus on dry mixes. They could not agree. This caused the deal to fall apart. After the show, Dorene kept working. She rebranded her product. She got it into two thousand stores. But then packaging problems hurt sales. Profits went down. She could not keep the business running. In 2016 it closed down.

Product Availability

The Chef in Black Inc. made all-natural gluten-free dressings. The main product was the California Asian Fusion Dressing. It was versatile. It could be used as a salad dressing. It could also be a stir-fry sauce. Some people used it as a marinade. The product was available in over two thousand stores. Walmart sold it. It was also available online. Customers liked the taste. Many people enjoyed the flavors.

But the company had problems. Packaging issues caused losses. Sales dropped. The business could not survive. It closed in 2016. Now the product is no longer available. It is not sold in stores. It is not sold online either.

Conclusion

Dorene Humason had a dream. She wanted to create a great Chinese salad dressing. She worked hard. She got her product into stores. She went on Shark Tank. She got a deal. But the deal did not happen later. She rebranded. She expanded. She got into Walmart. But problems hurt her business. Sales went down. The company closed in 2016. The dressing is no longer available.

Dorene’s story shows how hard business can be. Even good products can struggle. Success is not always easy. Her journey on Shark Tank was exciting. But in the end, her company did not survive.