Leonardo
I started in the bakery world in Venezuela, where I worked, and own 2 bakeries. I have a total of 18 years of experience in the business.
Even though I moved to the United States and have been here for the last 2 years, I still own my bakeries in Venezuela. I left my personnel well trained and they work from here. At night, I do administrative work, but the remainder of the operation is done by my team in Venezuela.
The experience here has been incredible. It ‘s unique. Working artisanally to create different amounts of bread for large quantities is a work that requires coordination, rhythm, and time! Everyone is coordinated, and the personnel functions beautifully. Also, the recipes are genius!
The pastries here are different from Venezuela. They lean more towards a European style, while the ones in Venezuela are much sweeter. Even if you have a business and you think you have all figured it out, it is always good to gain new experiences and perspectives.
Adina
Adina
I found myself in the kitchen because I needed a part time job while I was in school studying creative writing. I applied for a front of the house position and told them I made Challah every week. I didn’t know anything about baking except what I did at home.
They asked me to come in and start baking and I never left. I quit school because I didn’t think it was going anywhere.
I’ve been here since around 2015. It’s my 4th time coming back. I fell in love with this place and I think it’s a great stepping stone for people wanting to learn the basics and fall in love with the process. The people here keep me coming back. No matter who’s here, this place just attracts a nice group of people. Whether it’s front of house packing, or pastry, there’s always a unique group of people who are always very friendly and nice. It has a good sense of community.
I’m currently in school for cosmetology. I don’t want to stop baking, but I do want to pursue other options. One of my main goals is to be able to work from home, or close to home, once I have kids. Working in a bakery just doesn’t allow for that. I think that by doing hair I might be able to work from my house and make my own schedule. It’s good to always have a plan B and think on your future.
Yana Lacusta
I was born in Ukraine in the city of Chernivtsi.
I’ve loved cooking since I was young, but it never crossed my mind growing up that I could do it professionally. It wasn’t until recently that cooking began to be viewed as a profession in Ukraine. While I was finishing school, I started seeing modern restaurants opening up, one of which was run by my aunt. Through her, I had the opportunity to see the other side of the kitchen: modern dishes, incredible food, the latest equipment, and chefs who were real artists and creators. Those images will forever stay with me.
One of my biggest achievements happened at 21 when I became the Chef of a large three story restaurant with a high turnaround. I had previous experience with high turnaround restaurants, so the decision to place me at the head wasn’t a mistake. I worked very hard, and in those 3 years, my life changed completely. I became stronger mentally and physically.
During that time, I also learned the importance of creating a proper team. A team that sticks by you when times are tough and who wants to work with you and learn from you. A team that can keep the kitchen running properly when you are not there, and when you come back after a day off, they’re eagerly waiting for you with sincere smiles and sparkles in their eyes.
As Ukrainian chefs, we are uniting and reviving our dishes and traditions. Everyday finding more value in who we are and what sets us apart. After the victory – very soon, we will be able to share with the whole world our knowledge and techniques of how we work with our products and prepare our authentic dishes. The war in our country divided our life into before and after. It has been a year since our country has been torn apart by a fratricidal senseless war, but the attack of a neighboring country on us makes us stronger and more united.
Craig
I’ve worked everywhere, from fast food restaurants to massive Stadium and Hotel operations. But you’ll find me here on my days off - serving food on the street from my tent. This is where I feel good, where I feel good about what I serve. This is better than all that processed shit we’re usually served.
This is real food that everyone can feel good about. Fast food restaurants are all popping up, and grocery stores are closing. It’s hard to compete with that. I know a lot of places where the food quality is poor, but they don’t care. These people call themselves chefs but refuse to cover a dishwasher or prep cook’s shift if they call out.
To be a good chef to be a good restaurant manager, you have to be willing to face the same pressure as the rest of your team. You have to be ready to get into the weeds.
When you’re looking for an experience, learn about the chef and his craft, and understand why you’re paying what you’re paying. But if you’re looking for a quick meal, don’t go to a chain; visit your local street vendors.
Luis
I was born and raised in the Dominican Republic, but I’ve been living in Raleigh, North Carolina, for the past year.
I started in the kitchen as an escapist from my original role as a Doctor. I remember watching Chefs on TV and wanting to feel the rush and the emotions of the kitchen. The passion grew, and it soon became my lifestyle, so much so that I’ve been in the industry for ten years. What I love most about this is getting to express myself through food. I ended up studying culinary at the Dominican Culinary Institute and UNIBE University.
Seeing the satisfaction of the dinner guests and the way I’m able to continue creating is what keeps me going. For me, time stops once I step inside the kitchen. It becomes just me, my team, and the tickets. The power to create, transmit and have a rush at a particular time is fantastic.
My first job in the US marked me forever. I got to earn the respect of all the Americans that mocked me because I was the foreign guy who didn’t speak the best English and couldn’t express myself well. The day I became the Executive Chef, and everyone was happy and proud of me will forever be etched into my mind.
This goes with an important lesson: hard work pays off. Dream big. I always encourage people to try. “You don’t lose anything trying or asking about something.” One thing I would like to see less of, though, is perfectionism. It’s all about flavor, fun, and the idea of delivering something unique.
My final advice to cooks would be: Love and believe in what you do.
David
One day in the kitchen of a small English town restaurant, the chef was not there when an order for Champiñones al Ajillo was waiting to be taken out. I, as the dishwasher, seeing that the chef did not arrive and having seen how he made it, I dared and fulfilled the order. After a while, the waiter and chef returned and asked, "who brought out the order?" Silence filled the room. The chef looked at me, and the waiter said, "they send congratulations to the kitchen." Since that day, I began this journey full of passion, sweat, burns, sleep, and cuts for 15 years, passing through large kitchens.
I grew up in a small town called Garzón, Huila, Colombia. Like all small-town children, I needed to leave home in order to study at the university. That's how I started my trip to the capital to study electronic engineering. A year passed, and I needed to acquire a new language, so I left for England to study and work.
Without knowing English and having no work experience, washing dishes was the easiest job I could get.
While I was a dishwasher, I saw behind me a symphony where everyone was running, flying pans, the fire was breaking out, and yet, nobody crashed into anything. It captivated me, and when I stood in line, it just flowed. I felt like a fish in the water. That tide took me to work in many places and cuisines. Some were fancier than others, but in every place, I found life stories that taught me more than just cooking. A year later, when I returned home, the engineer no longer returned; the cook returned.
I grew my career in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where I laid the foundations of my kitchen around the fire; I passed through my house, Colombia, to rediscover it gastronomically, and then I continued my way to Mexico to discover its roots.
Today, I continue my journey gaining experience in my kitchen day by day.
Joyce
After graduating from culinary school, my career began like all culinary students dream of, working in high-end restaurants next to big-name chefs. But there came a point in my career when I had to make a decision for my health, both physical and mental. When I reached the position of Sous Chef, my body and mind took a toll, and I was no longer handling the intensity of it all. I had some serious health issues that ultimately made me quit my position. I decided to step back and rethink how I would approach the culinary world, and simultaneously as a sign, covid arrived, and with it, my deep dive into sourdough.
Not long after, an opportunity arose to work as a Chef in a Latin kosher cafe. It was a small, locally owned business that had served the community for a long time, and the new owners were looking for a chef. I took the opportunity, but I didn't know what that would mean for my future. To be sincere, it was not the initial idea I had in mind or the culinary trajectory that they teach us to strive for. I had to fight many times with the idea of serving high end, being on the top, and being in the press. It made me focus more on the quality of the food, on the community we served, and how we were making an impact through small yet meaningful steps. I helped to achieve a good balance in their restaurant by being a good chef and an excellent consultant to the point that they offered me the chance to partner up with them. This partnership changed the way I thought about things.
I find myself now in my next phase in life. I have broken so many beliefs and stigmas in the industry that now, I'm shifting towards a journey to strive to be a better person, prioritizing health. I have always wanted to be more than a chef and understand the nutritional aspects. So I want to learn more about it and offer a more grounded experience to the people in our community. I want to offer food that feels good, that makes sense, that not only tastes great but that is good for your body. So this is the next step in my journey. Not only to get to know all this for myself but for other people.
Ana & Ana
We started cooking 22 years ago. It all started at home, where my mother taught us the basics. A skill I’ll be forever grateful to my mom for teaching us. We believe we should all learn how to cook ourselves a good meal; we never know what will happen, but we think it’s a crucial survival skill.
Years later, a business opportunity appeared, and it was a small restaurant. We weren’t sure if, from being home cooks, we could manage a restaurant or cook something others liked. That's when we started digging into our culture, remembering my mom's recipes and asking our mother-in-law about some traditional dishes we wanted to serve at the restaurant. Months later, we decided to hire a chef to help us have a solid structure, and that’s when we learned more about techniques and measures.
Today we both are in charge of the kitchen, and our husbands are farmers, so we always use fresh ingredients and help each other.
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@christianguval 📸🎤Reporting from Alajuela, Costa Rica 🇨🇷
William
I was born and raised here in Miami, but all my family is from Puerto Rico. I started cooking in high school and loved the grill. It was my first job!
I’ve been cooking for a long time. I didn’t go to culinary school. I just got hands-on experience at places like country club dining, high volume, and more. Trust me, I've seen it all and done it all. I've seen a grown man cry, and I've even seen guys get burned real bad or stabbed.
Aside from all the chaos that can happen inside the kitchen, what has kept me here is that I love to see the finished product. I enjoy being able to give pleasure through food and be part of people’s life’s somehow, even if they don’t know it. A good meal can go a long way, and that’s where it all comes down to, seeing people enjoy their meals and get together to celebrate around the table. I love cooking, but I have found that doing things outside, like landscaping, screen sprinting courses, etc., helps not only to learn other skills and disconnect but also as extra money and income.
Gustavo
Working in the kitchen has completely changed in the last five years. You have to treat people with a lot more respect. Just a couple of years ago, chefs would treat you badly, but now we are changing the culture to build people up instead of putting them down.
I’ve worked with some really tough chefs, especially in Spain. Spain was one of the toughest moments in my career because chefs yell at you for anything. So returning to the USA, I have tried to avoid that negative stigma.
While in Spain, I worked for free. Given the times, it is hard to get people to come and stage for you and work for free because everything has become so expensive it is hard to live. But if somebody wants to go to Europe and have that experience, I recommend they research and find a place where you are treated well.
Fine dining can be sustainable to a certain extent. The only issue is that the cost is translated to the guests, which few people are willing to pay. As it stands, a lot of these fine dining establishments survive on the free labor they receive. If you take this away, it's nearly impossible for them to survive simply because of the manpower needed to achieve the results. This was clearly evident in my experience (2 Michelin stars, no.3 in the world). There was a team of about 15+ stagiaires working at any time. This was almost the same number of BOH people and just as much for FOH in the restaurant's payroll. This situation with noma shows the rest of the world what some people have gone through to obtain some of the best experiences possible to succeed in this demanding field. We can be sustainable with all our ingredients, but can we do it with our human workforce?