Thomas
I was born in Brooklyn, New York, with my family roots stemming from Italy and Argentina.
I’ve been on an amazing culinary journey these last 12 years since 1995 when I began as a dishwasher. It was a tough job, but along the way, I fell in love with cooking and the kitchen by watching the cooks execute each dish. In this journey, I’ve prepared gourmet dishes in some of NYC’s finest restaurants, roasted pigs in backyards and at stadium tailgates for thousands, cooked classic Greek menus and American pub food, and tossed buffalo wings by the boatload. Every step affirmed what I’ve known from the beginning, that it’s the only thing I want to do. Nothing else interests me. Making people happy and being part of their special moments is one of the highlights of this career. It’s like nothing else you do.
But deep down, despite all I’ve done, I always knew I needed to return to my first love, to my roots: Italian food. So, in 2019, with no more than an idea in a notebook, I got to work.
Today, Brooklyn Roots is a living, breathing thing. I am finally home and so proud to cook dishes that are familiar but always a little different than the standard. We are old school in a modern world which is one of the reasons why everyone in my kitchen has two days off and is compensated for all their hard work. A work balance needs to be created in this industry. We lose too many great cooks/chefs to burnout, but if we all stick together, work hard as a team, and care for each other, we will achieve outstanding results.
Shabnam
I started experimenting with sourdough while I was unemployed and my creative work was on pause. I had been unemployed on and off for years because of my visual impairment (I was diagnosed legally blind with macular dystrophy when I was 18), and when I noticed that making pizza felt good (and people were interested in buying them) I decided to lean in.
This led me to start my pizza catering and pop-up business in Los Angeles. I bought a mobile pizza oven, hired some friends, and within a year we went from slinging pizzas in my backyard to selling out of 120 pies in two hours on the patio of a restaurant on a night they were closed. I had never worked in a kitchen before, and everything I knew about pizza and sourdough came from hours of Youtube, but what I learned here is what I have learned time and time again: you are only as strong as your community. My team made the project possible. Because of my visual impairment, I needed to create my own systems to be able to do the work well and my team was always eager to help accommodate me.
Through it all, I eventually learned I wasn’t trying to open a restaurant. When you are doing something seemingly well, people assume you are trying to go all the way to the moon. But I was just trying to do something tangible for myself and for those I was able to employ and feed. When we made the 120th pizza after our last three-hour shift, I decided I needed to hit pause and re-assess.
Now even though I haven’t gotten behind a 900 degree oven in a while, I am still so fond of the food community that helped shape who I’ve become since Covid. Cooking food is an everyday reality, a necessity to connect, to make something real, and at the same time meaningful to share with others. Food is about connection, and that’s something I will always remember.
Nick
My name is Nick. I was born in Edward, MS, but I’m currently residing in Jackson, MS.
My love for the kitchen started on the farm, with my nana serving as my biggest influence. I started being more engaged when I was 6. I couldn’t leave the kitchen at that point. I was making biscuits from scratch before I was 8 and making jellies and jams.
My first job was at a Mexican restaurant called Fernando’s when I was 16. I washed dishes for a year and then moved to prep cook. They were tough on me, which I loved because it was exactly what I needed.
One of the many reasons I’ve stayed in this industry is because it had many Chefs of color in Mississippi being featured out front. I wanted to figure out what was needed and then someone told me, it’s consistency and treating people great. I’m here to encourage others to walk through their doors and be great and find your voice in this life. We only have one life so I’m making the best of it and my family tree isn’t strong with elderly males. I’m the eldest male. So, for me, I have it all on my back and I have to make a difference.
It’s one of the things I love about cooking. It holds many attachments to the community, health, wealth, strength, guidance, encouragement, environment, and the future. It’s unique because you can show your personality in what you do. You can really tell a story of techniques and flavors. That’s freaking badass!
The best lesson I’ve learned thus far is don’t burn a bridge. Treat everyone the same and respect people as much as you do the food. It’s super important to have good habits because that’s what sets you apart from the rest. I hope more Chefs of color get the recognition they deserve in Mississippi. I love what I do, and I love where I’m from. I welcome partnerships to work with others but also for them to work with me.
Cuong & Trung "The Cat Ba Brothers"
Two years ago, one year after opening our own restaurant, my brother went to the forest to forage some plants for our special dishes. Unfortunately, the tree he was reaching for was touching an electric tower. Despite using a stick to reach the plants, he received a high-voltage shock and was electrocuted. This incident resulted in him spending more than 52 days in the hospital, losing both his legs and one of his arms. My only wish during that time was to see him out of that hospital; I didn’t expect anything else, just that he survived.
After the 52 days, he immediately started talking about the restaurant. It was our dream, our first independent venture after working under so many talented chefs. He couldn’t imagine himself doing anything else but cooking. His love for the kitchen and the dream of having his own restaurant motivated him to recover.
He acquired wooden prosthetics for his legs and had his friend modify his scooter to place the accelerator on the left side. He gradually began to cook again at our house, learning how to balance on the scooter with the goal of returning to work a shift at the restaurant, just as he always did. When he finally made it back to the kitchen, it was as if nothing had happened. He knew exactly where everything was located, albeit a bit slower than before. Together with synchronization and determination, we started firing order after order. His dream, the kitchen, and his passion made him almost completely forget about the accident.
We are the Cat Ba Brothers, two chefs who utilize local Vietnamese ingredients to create vegetarian and vegan-inspired dishes from different parts of the world. We hope you can visit Vietnam and Cat Ba Island soon and visit us at our restaurant, @casabonita.vn The constant satisfaction of our customers motivates my brother and me to come in every morning and cook.
Andres
I credit my uncle and cousin for making me want to become a Chef for a living. I started working with my uncle at his catering company in Mexico City when I was 14 years old. Working with them gave me the chance to live the rush, the focus, the creativity, and the constant sense of accomplishment that happens behind the line. That’s what made me fall for this craft.
After working at various restaurants in Mexico City, I moved to work in Tel Aviv, Israel. Then I moved to New York to attend the Culinary Institute of America. After graduating, I worked for a great Chef in New York and his restaurant in Miami. Due to the pandemic, I had to return to Mexico, where I worked in a Miami well-renowned restaurant, which had just opened in Mexico City. I had the chance to come back to Miami, and now I currently work at a great restaurant that has given me the freedom to create some great experiences and dishes. I continue to develop and discover myself while sharing my roots with the people here, which I love to do.
The culinary industry has a unique duality, like two different realities are happening simultaneously in the same space. Just that one is lived by the guests, and one is lived by the people who make it all happen. One can’t exist without the other. During the pandemic, the world was deprived of one essential and simple practice: human interaction while sharing a meal. Restaurants have suffered a lot after the pandemic, but just like in a busy service, the sense of urgency that we have in a kitchen has forced us all to reinvent ourselves to keep giving our guests what they are looking for more than ever. There is still a lot to figure out in this new world after the pandemic, but the first step for us is going back to basics to square one: sharing with people good food and good times. Keeping this in mind through difficult times and choices has given me a lot of peace and direction in what we do daily for our guests.
Attending culinary school allowed me to learn about different cuisines, techniques, and cultures with an educational focus. It made me realize how vast and diverse this craft can be and the endless possibilities.
Delphine
I was born in France.
I started working in the kitchen out of necessity. I just needed a job for the winter season and followed a friend who was going to the Alps Mountains to work. It never occurred to me that 14 years later, I would be fully on board in this industry.
I did a few seasons in basic roles to learn skills and slowly fell in love with the environment. It matched my personality perfectly.
I always loved cooking, but pastry was my first real love. That love drove me to learn and understand how to use the machines. I was fortunate enough to encounter amazing human beings along my path, patient enough to teach me stuff the right way.
The more I learned, the more in love I fell with this job. I was already a vegetarian at the time (since I was 18) and was exploring vegan food, so it was never a point for me to go to a cooking school where I would have to learn to butcher and everything. No way in my head it would make sense to grow my career.
So I followed my gut. I’ve learned by being in the kitchen, absorbing every little thing and detail, mirroring the gestures, and teaching my brain to be aware of it all.
I did a few jobs in France and then moved to London in the UK, where veganism and vegetarianism are bigger and more mainstream. I loved my time there, the country and people gave me opportunities to grow, and I ended up having my first managing positions there, in another language than my mother tongue, with people from all around the world, and I loved the challenge. I grew so much during those first years as Sous Chef and then Head Chef. I’m so grateful I followed that path, trusted my gut, made mistakes, changed directions in my career, and all that. In the end, everything made sense.
Now I’m back in France exploring new challenges, and who knows about the future.
Luis
Five years ago, I arrived in New York from Venezuela, where I was pursuing a career in the music industry. But getting into the industry in my country was too difficult. There was too much competition, so I decided to pursue another creative career. I enrolled in culinary school to try something new and discovered I loved it. Two months in, I began working in a restaurant. From there, I continued moving from restaurant to restaurant, gaining knowledge and experience in every place I worked.
Right now, I’m happy to report I’m working at my second fine-dining restaurant, and I’m at the place I always dreamt of being, at the level I’ve always wanted to be, and learning new techniques and levels of organization. For a long time, this dream seemed far away. I knew it was what I wanted from the moment I entered the fine-dining landscape two years ago. It mesmerized me. The level at which they operated was utterly different from anything I’d seen up to that point in my career. It furthered my love for this career, and now that I’m working on the pastry side, I’m even more amazed because it’s another dream come true.
Although I didn’t pursue music, no regrets there, I still draw similarities between the two. I get to create art someone else will enjoy, convey emotions through food, and when making desserts, I’m eager for people to try them and remember a particular moment. It’s a beautiful thing.
Facundo Brizuela
I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I’ve been working in restaurants for six years. From a very young age, I saw chefs on TV and in books, like Narda Lepes and Fernando Trocca. Through these influences I discovered my love for cooking. I wanted to be like them, so I studied on my own until I was old enough to study at the IGI (International Gastronomic Institute). After three years, I graduated.
My first kitchen job was hard. We all know kitchens are complicated and even more so when you’re 18 working 12 hours a day! But I learned a lot being there for a year.
The thing I love most about cooking is the adrenaline of service and the satisfaction on the faces of diners. My passion for good service, a love for good food and the desire to be better always pushes me to better. If I have a bad day, I try harder the next day. Never give up.
Today I am the Executive Chef in Loot Garden, Villa de Mayo, Buenos Aires, where we cook with seasonal products and the best meat in the world-Argentinian meat! This country is special as the food changes every 100km, so you know you’re eating quality food.
Argentina has very good products, restaurants, and outstanding chefs. This country has a lot to offer the world. I want to exalt the raw materials of this country and their capabilities. Gastronomy here is growing and there are increasingly better chefs.
A love for the profession makes it unique. Chefs endure heat, screams, low salary, blood and tears. You’re here if you really love cooking and want to be a great chef. The most important thing when it comes to this industry is the quality of the food. Take care of the product, be careful with the food when you cook, and always respect where it comes from, regardless if it’s vegetables or animals. Respect the earth, it is the best natural food pantry!
Jane Gleize
I was born in a small village in the south of France called Château Arnoux. Both my grandfather and father are chefs, so the kitchen has been a part of my life since early childhood. Some of my favorite memories involve my grandmother and me visiting the market, prepping meals, and sharing it with the family.
My first kitchen job was an incredible experience. It was in a small village in southern France with Chef Eric Sape, a Michelin-starred Chef. I learned a lot about love, generosity, hard work, and always being your best. Every day when you go into the kitchen, cook with love because when you don’t, you can taste it in the food. From this experience, I knew this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
I worked in England for two years at a three-Michelin-starred restaurant called The Waterside Inn, run by the Roux Family, before returning home to France to work with my family. Four years later, I’m the head chef with my dad, and I’m so grateful to work with my family and the incredible team every day.
If I could give anyone any advice, it would be to never give up. Trust yourself. Wake up every day and push yourself. It’s the only way to get what you want.
Justin Box
My name is Justin Box. I was born in Dallas, Texas.
My love for cooking started on an old black leather and dark wooden stool in my mama’s kitchen when I was young. I remember sitting on that old stool, watching my grandma take spoonfuls of pork fat out of an old coffee tin and teaching me how to make gravy with it. I also remember my mama letting me brown the ground beef for spaghetti at least once a week, and to this day, it is still my all-time favorite dish. My 8-year-old son uses that same old stool today.
On January 13th, 2015, my first son was born. I was then five years sober. It was also the day we got green-tagged to open a restaurant called Cafe Momentum. Cafe Momentum was a nonprofit that taught juvenile offenders how to run a successful restaurant.
We taught these young men everything from catering to cooking on a line, serving, dishwashing, and everything in between. So, not only was I teaching these misguided youths and helping counsel them on a day-to-day basis, but I was also a first-time father, which I knew nothing about. After a reasonable amount of time, I decided I wanted to be a real-time daddy and give my son more time. This meant leaving behind some of the best people I’ve known in my career and pivoting in the direction of private dining, nonprofit partnership, and consulting/opening up numerous restaurants in and around the city. I also took on the role of one of the only people in my city to cook for many nationally known punk rock and hip-hop groups from all over. Being a father and doing service work are two of the most important things in my life, and I have finally curated a path that’s fully inclusive of both within my industry. I am in the fetal stages of starting my nonprofit to employ men and women in recovery. And, of course, my family will be a massive part of this journey.
For all the future cooks, don’t settle and know your worth. If you’re good at something, go out and get that shit. You are and will always be your biggest cheerleader.