Lúóng
It all began in the dish pit, the humble corner of the kitchen. On one side, the flames danced as the wok sizzled with frenetic energy. On the other side, there he stood, immersed in the task of washing dishes. It was a juxtaposition of two distinct elements, coexisting within a single space. Growing up in a family kitchen, Lúóng couldn’t help but dream of the day when he would transition to the other side.
Eirene
I’ve been living in Florida for the last four years. I arrived as a Culture Exchange Student from the Philippines and took one year of Culinary Training in Palm Beach, Florida.
My love for the kitchen started in my childhood when I would go to the Local Public Market with my mom. Being exposed to fresh meats, fish, and vegetables then seeing my mother combine all those ingredients and create a great meal inspired me.
My first kitchen job was in an environment I felt I belonged. The training and hours were long, but it was exciting for me to work on what I’m passionate about. One of the things I love about cooking is presenting my culture through food.
As I learn how life works, it gets easier to fall and get back up. We all make mistakes. We all have bad moments, but I keep in mind that no matter what happens, it will all pass. We live, and we learn. Tomorrow is a new day to do better.
There is one thing I would like to change in this profession: the wrong perception of a kitchen where there’s always a screaming and frustrated Chef. I’ve been in both kitchens, and I realized most people are discouraged from being in this industry for that reason when it’s not always the case. A kitchen can be fun and productive, depending on who leads it.
People who work in this industry are some of the humblest people you will meet. Not only do you get pride from creating great food, but you also maintain a humble spirit because you have to clean up after yourself. The little things build a great person, and for me, being in this profession creates a full version of yourself.
Stay humble. Skills can be taught, but a good personality and behavior cannot. The only way to survive in this industry is your humility and empathy for the people and environment you work in. A positive attitude and optimistic personality will get you far if combined with hard work and perseverance.
Paul Félix
My name is Paul Mitchell Félix Valenzuela. I was born in Culiacán, Sinaloa, México.
The only thing that kept me afloat during my first job was the culinary basics I learned in school and the love for food I had carried since I was a child. I entered the kitchen without realizing it. Since my parents worked when I was a child, I found myself responsible for feeding my sister and me, and ever since then, I lost my fear of cooking.
The love began when in the middle of personal problems. I found cooking helped me forget about everything. I learned everything happens, but nothing is forever. I love that there are no borders in the kitchen. Nothing divides us, and the humility of food can touch people’s hearts.
When I entered the industry for the first time, I realized it was a somewhat dark place where people seek their own benefit or cook without the essence needed to cook. I realized that change comes from the people who still retain those values and do not lose them no matter how dark the road may be. I think cooking brings out people’s true faces. Under pressure and exhaustion, you get to know people.
Everything you do, even if you do it a thousand times a day, you have to do it with the same love and dedication that you put into the first one. Try to improve every day. Try to make the same dish better and better, and enjoy what you do. Don’t let anything and no one take away your dream.
Lastly, whatever difficult moment you’re going through, whether you have clients or not, you’re at your best or worse emotionally, overwhelmed with life, or can’t see the light, know you are not alone. Everything will pass.
Sonia
My name is Sonia Oberai, I was born in Bombay but was raised here in London . My passion for cooking started from a young age , watching my mum cook every day. I was fascinated with all the spices she would use.
I started cooking from the age of 15, my mum taught me all her recipes and that is where the passion for cooking began. I got a lot of joy from seeing people enjoy my food!
I started my culinary journey by working for an airline catering company as a pastry chef. From making hundreds of desserts a day I wanted a change of direction so I started working in the ivy as a commis chef . Working in such a fast paced, very famous restaurant I gained experience and learned a lot of new skills!
I am now chef de Partie.
I would say I am very proud of myself from where I started and where I am now.
I still have a long way to go on my journey and I can’t wait to see what is next!
Photography and story captured by @darklingcaptures official HOTK reporter in 🇬🇧
Lan
We’ve been making Bánh cuốn in this corner for over three generations. It started with my Grandfather, who owned the business before passing it to my Mother, and now it’s in my hands.
Last year, Michelin almost gave us a Star, but our place wasn’t big enough and didn’t meet all their standards, so we didn’t get it. We need more room and time. We’ve been here, serving the locals for over 40 years, and we’re not going anywhere soon. If it’s meant to happen, it will, but it’s not something that keeps me up all night.
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.