Victor Albanese
I’m from Venezuela, and I’ve been in the United States for the last 2 years.
My brother owned a business back in town, a famous pastry shop called Golfeado Don Goyo. That’s where I started in the kitchen. My first career, though, is as a Chemical Engineer.
Working with my brother helped me discover a different part of myself. I would sometimes help with the Golfeados– a Venezuelan pastry similar to a sticky bun–working with the dough and getting it to the right consistency asked for by the clients.
My role now in the bakery I’m working is more about the food items that deal with natural conservatives. I’m the one who assigns the dates for how long a product could last on a shelf, giving it the exposure date depending on the requirements asked for by the client.
Carlos González
My name is Carlos Mario González Pluma. I was born in Mexico City in the Álvaro Obregón delegation.
My love for cooking began when I was very young.
I remember the moments spent with my grandmother in the kitchen, and the memories of my childhood I’m most fond of are spent around a table eating. My first taste of the kitchen came while working as a dishwasher in my friends’ grandmother’s inn.
There’s one word I’d use to describe my first kitchen job: stressful. It was a new world where I learned the importance of discipline, but it forever marked my life. Seeing how every task was accomplished to the millimeter resembled an expertly conducted orchestra. Everything worked like clockwork. It was phenomenal.
Knowing that each physical and chemical process is one of the many things I love about cooking. To me, it’s art, love, and history mixed into one. This profession requires a lot of love, discipline, and passion. Apart from the physical and mental exhaustion this career provides, the constant stress and busyness of the day making it different from others.
If I could give a word of advice to future cooks, it would be: At all times, love what you do. Fight for your dreams. Learn from everyone and share your knowledge with others. Respect your uniform, be humble, and support yourself among cooks. Try, read, study, and above all, become a master of your trade.
Charlie
I grew up cooking with my family, so it was a connection I gained early on. Around the same time, I began watching the Food Network and other cooking shows that sparked my desire to work in restaurants.
I worked in a couple of casual restaurants, a few bars, and grills, and I gained a lot of knowledge and experience in cooking, but the environment in the places I worked didn’t suit my personality. I wanted to pursue high-end dining, and I felt people weren’t looking for the same thing in the places I worked. It was only a job for them, and we didn’t share the same enthusiasm for improving our craft.
When I opened my restaurant, I knew I needed to approach the kitchen culture differently. Overall, the industry in the States has changed from the times chefs would yell and scream. Not everywhere, but in some places. I don’t think screaming at people helps them retain information. It just makes them scared of you.
We’re a small restaurant, and I thought the only sustainable way to ran a fine dining restaurant lied in a small operation and an excellent small team. The focus became how to nurture the team players and give guidance and leadership in a way that would be appropriately received. We ensure every member gets something out of the experience and guide them toward whatever goal they have for their career.
One year after opening the restaurant, we earned a Michelin star. It was surprising for some, but I’ve been cooking at this level for most of my career. This star is a natural outcome of our hard work and how we cook at the restaurant. It’s not like I’m doing something whimsical, and I have to figure out how to keep it going, which is why I don’t feel any pressure about it.
Sometimes I think, wow, Michelin will come every year, and we have to retain the star, but it’s okay. I just have to keep doing what I do, work excellently, and the rest will sort itself out.
Marina
I had my first encounter with the kitchen when I was eight because our parents worked, and I had to look after my two younger sisters. When my grandmother visited from Albania, I watched her cook everything from traditional meals to sweets and sauces. The way she respected each ingredient and recipe was magical and made me fall in love with cooking.
I went to university like my parents wanted, but I began to look for cooking schools. Eventually, I got accepted to the Chef D’oeuvre Cooking and Pastry school in Athens, but since my parents disagreed with me going, I worked to cover my school expenses.
My first kitchen job was an internship that taught me more than cooking. I encountered professional and non-professional behaviors, exploitation in the work environment, and sexism, among other things. Despite the setbacks I confronted, my passion for learning keeps drawing me back into the field.
I love cooking, and I love awakening memories in everyone who tastes the food I make. One time as I was leaving for work, my eldest came up to me and said, “I know you’re tired, but mother, many people are waiting to eat from your hands.”
At the beginning of my career, I worked all the time because I thought it was the only way to gain experience. A “chef,” and I say the word loosely, once taught me how to clench my teeth at anyone who thinks that men should dominate kitchens. It was the best lesson I got in the kitchen, and that’s how I learned to deal with him and everyone like him. In my kitchens, everyone has equal rights, and you don’t need shouts and curses to do the job you love so much.
Teach them to respect the kitchen through traditions. I’ve often approached older women to observe how they cook. The love for what they do is visible. They show absolute confidence in all their movements and bring a story about every food. Train the new cooks right, and they’ll grow to develop a healthy kitchen environment where everyone can thrive.
For a woman to choose a male-dominated profession is risky, but she can succeed if she sets her mind to it! Besides, life has proven to us that the best cook of all is a woman! And she is our mom!
Marc
My name is Marc. I’m from Togo., Africa.
I’ve been in New York for six months and I love to cook. My biggest dream is to become a chef.
“The journey of success begins at the bottom, but it is the choices we make regarding our starting point that truly determine our destination.”
Elvis
I’ve been in New York for ten months, working in an area of the kitchen where I don’t have to speak English with anyone since I’m still learning the language. I’ve always liked anything related to the kitchen and gastronomy, and in the meantime, I observe the chefs, take notes, and commit them to memory so that when my time comes to act, I won’t be lost.
In Venezuela, I worked in one of the best restaurants in my area called “El Rancho del Pescador.” Being a seafood restaurant, they focused mainly on seafood, which is very different from the restaurant I work at now; I think this is what makes this job so exciting; every place is a diverse ecosystem, and what you can learn is limitless.
Being an immigrant is complex. I’m alone in a new country, and my family is back home. It’s hard leaving my daughters behind, knowing I’m not watching them grow up or getting the chance to be with them every day, but they know I’m here for them.
Everything I do is for them. My main goal is to continue improving so I can bring them. With them here, not only will we be complete, but my focus won’t be split, and I’ll be able to dive deeper into creating a better future for us.
Desiré
Ever since I was a little kid, I connected with the kitchen. My parents loved cooking, so naturally, I would cook with them, and then I began to cook for them.
My passion grew and took me to France, where I studied pastries and worked for a few years. I then returned to America and opened my own business in Chicago. After some time, I decided to close my business and move to Miami.
I feel so fortunate to be the Pastry Chef at Zak The Baker now and have the most wonderful team! It brings me immense joy to see the results of our efforts and how the team has come together. Getting to share the knowledge I have with my team motivates me and constantly teaches me. By supporting each other, our efforts improve every day.
My goal is to bring happiness to the community through cooking and help uncover the diverse cultures we have in Miami. By making these cultures more approachable and easier to comprehend, we can all connect as a community and as a whole.
Embracing the opportunity to be creative is another driving force for me. I’m also encouraged by the possibility of failing, knowing that it allows for a chance to bounce back stronger. These experiences shape us and spur our progress.
There are a lot of different changes happening right now in the world in terms of food. We are becoming more aware of how much sugar we consume, the quality of the products we put in our bodies, and the ingredients inside those products. I believe this awareness will only continue to grow and create significant change for the better.
Jodi Ann
My name is Jodi Ann Bowen.
I’m from Jamaica, Montego Bay. I moved to the United States last year in April. I started cooking in Jamaica like 15 years ago.
As a young girl, my parents had a difficult time with me. I had my first child when I was 14 years old. Culinary is what got me out of trouble and rescued me. I enjoyed culinary, so I went to school for it, and from that day on, it’s become my life. I had no other choice than to find myself while cutting up vegetables.
The kitchen is a great place to destress, be with your team members, interact with them, and show your talent. You can disconnect from the outside world in a small kitchen space. The best part is when you cook for your guests, and they love it.
When I compare my experience working in Jamaica to Miami, the kitchens are similar, but the kitchens here in Miami are a bit easier. In Jamaica, the resorts are way bigger than here. I worked at a resort with 1400 homes, and we still accept cruise ships in Montego Bay, so when we have a busy period, it’s crazy busy. It’s different from Miami, where we only take reservations here. .money in Miami.
Working in the kitchen, we all gain lots of good and bad stories. When I first started as a prep cook, the chef, being more experienced than me, sent me for some steam. However, steam is something that comes from the pot, there is nothing for you to go and physically grab.
I didn’t realize it, so I went looking for the steam, and everybody was laughing at me! But you know now that I am experienced, I do what you all call “pranks” on others sometimes because the kitchen can be a fun place, and we love to have fun.
Robert
My grandmother owned a restaurant growing up where I worked with her a lot. When she retired, my mom made me cook every Friday because, in her words, “A woman won’t want a man who can’t cook.” My real love for the kitchen came while working in an Embassy Suites hotel. A family came in after burying their loved one.
Visibly upset, they placed their order, and my staff and I prepared everything in around 20 minutes. Ten minutes later, I walked into the lobby and saw the group smiling, laughing, and having a good time. That blew my mind. The fact that food could change things like that.
I learned the craft under amazing chefs like Chef Lou in Fayetteville, NC, who taught me a lot. My first professional kitchen job was in a high-volume turn-and-burn restaurant that only wanted to flip the seats. I was a 16-year-old kid working with a bunch of old heads with an old-fashioned chef who did not care and had a horrible drinking problem. This man loved to throw things. He had no problem throwing a sauté pan across the line. No problem getting in your face and cussing you out. Honestly, it helped me become the person I am today. I often think about Chef Julio and thank him for forcing me to grow up fast.
In my 15 years in this industry, I’ve learned this is where I belong. I changed careers several times and always ended up back in the kitchen. I feel at home in my kitchen and don’t want to do anything else. There’s never a day that I don’t learn something new.
In this career, you must be disciplined and learn to control your emotions. Don’t let that person on the line get to you. Don’t let that piss-poor manager kill your drive. Keep doing you. Keep pushing through the hard times, and you will get there.
Keep dreaming, don’t second guess if flavors will work. If you think of a recipe, write it down.
Trifu
My name is Trifu Sorin, and I was born in Romania.
My passion for the kitchen started as a small child when my curiosity drove me to know as much as possible about ingredients and learn what could be done with them.
Thirteen years ago, I went for my first job interview, but unfortunately, at that time, it wasn’t easy to find a job in that kitchen. I was offered a job as a waiter instead. So I took it just to be close to the kitchen with the goal of one day working with the chef.
I’ll never forget the day I talked with the Chef who urged me to follow my path. I told him why I wanted to pursue a career in culinary; he told me it wasn’t too late. Enroll in school, and I’ll wait for you in the kitchen, he said.
One of the things I love about cooking is that there is always something to learn. Someone can always come and surprise you with a dish or an ingredient. The love for the taste of food and the smiles of people who try things I’ve made is one of the things that keep me going.
Along the way, I’ve learned to value everything and never throw or make fun of your or someone else’s food. It’s one of the things I wish would change in this industry. Sometimes we are too harsh with each other. Always appreciate what you have and do it out of passion! Otherwise, it’ll be a job like any other, and you won’t come with pleasure.
Never give up on your dreams. In time, with passion and hard work, the results will come.