Mariia Chornohrytska
I come from a big family in Ukraine. We’re four siblings, so our kitchen has always been busy. All of us are into sports. My parents are basketball coaches, while my brothers play in Italy and America. My sister is a referee, and I used to play, too, but I got injured and had to stay home for a long time. That’s when I started baking cakes, and that’s how my passion for the kitchen really flourished, making birthday cakes for my family.
Due to the war in Ukraine, I moved to Dubai to pursue career growth and have been living and working there for a year now. I started working in a Michelin-starred restaurant as a pastry CDP, and shortly after, I was promoted to pastry chef.
Right now, I’m responsible for pastry in four places: @sfumato.dxb, @soon.dxb, @soiree.dxb @sfumatocoffeepoint . It’s unbelievable how things work out, but I would not have had this opportunity without the war. Considering the situation not only in Ukraine but throughout the world, the kitchen should be a separate world where there is no war and drama. It should be a place where everyone speaks the same language – the language of knives and whisks.
That’s how I got a job in a kitchen in Spain. The chef there hired me even though I couldn’t speak Spanish, and my English was pretty bad. But we managed to make it work; we both spoke the same “kitchen language.”
If a moment in a kitchen changed my life, that experience was in Spain. Our shifts were really long, like 14-16 hours per day, five days a week. It was tough but also cool. Everyone there was passionate about their job and didn’t mind working overtime or even coming to work on their day off. They just loved what they were doing. And that’s when I realized I was just one of many really into food.
I want to see some changes in the industry, and I’m already seeing them happen. However, one thing that bothers me is how age always seems to factor in getting promoted to higher positions. It doesn’t matter how much knowledge or good ideas you have – once they discover your age, you get rejected.
What is your favorite street food?
I’m not fan of street food) But if you will bring me ice cream from MacDonalds – I’m all yours.
Which restaurant or food stand do you recommend? (Different from yours) (Add its Instagram handle if possible)
@teible
What is your guilty pleasure?
Syrniki. If in menu I will see this dish – 100% I will take it
What ingredient do you find overrated?
Meat. I like vegetables and variety ways of cooking them
What ingredient do you think is underrated?
Vegetables) u can make everything with them. U can all set menu including desserts based on them.
What is your favorite kitchen tool?
Tweezer and quenelle spoon – you will always find in my bag.
What is your worst kitchen nightmare?
I could say broken cake which you need to give for delivery like in 10 min. But with experience which I have already – everything could be solve.
📸 @foodphotish 🔥
Giannis Kotsos
Giannis Kotsos
I am from Greece, Athens. During the summer, I stayed with my grandmother and was inspired by her dedication and creativity towards food, especially Greek cuisine. I always wanted to help her in the kitchen, and spending my summer at her place was a joy.
I later joined the army, and during my time, I couldn’t think of something else that I wanted to do more than become a chef. I began living my dream in 1986, working in kitchens and learning from great chefs who took me under their wing. I gradually developed my skills and moved into different kitchens, carrying my recipe book with me, which included my grandmother’s and father’s recipes and those I learned from the kitchens. Eventually, it was time to open my first restaurant in Athens, followed by two more in Crete, a beautiful island in Greece. Things were going well, but an economic downturn forced me to close my restaurants. Uncertain about my next step, I moved to the USA in 2013.
People asked if I was scared, given the country’s competitive culinary scene and the many chefs that come to make a name for themselves, but I always looked ahead, never around comparing myself to others. I was confident in my abilities and my recipes.
I arrived in Miami and met my current partner while working as a consultant at his Greek cafe in Downtown Miami. He liked my recipes and shared the idea of opening a Greek restaurant, offering me an opportunity for partnership. The rest is history! We opened our first location in a small corner of Downtown Miami, which magically felt like Greece amidst the high-rise buildings that we call Meraki Greek Bistro – a Greek word meaning to do something with soul, creativity, and love. Today, we have four restaurants, including our latest location in Brooklyn, NYC; with each new opening, I feel like I’m getting younger, as sharing my recipes and bringing a piece of Greece to different places keeps me going.
Veronica Gomez
Veronica Gomez
I’m from Salamanca, a small town close to Madrid. After completing a University Degree in Journalism and a Master’s in art direction and creativity, I worked in advertising agencies for about five years until COVID hit. I was temporarily laid off and spent nine months pondering how to avoid returning to advertising.
At that time, a new MasterChef edition was coming up, and I thought, “Why not?”. Fortunately, I made it into the competition. It was an intense but unique experience, undoubtedly the most intense four months of my life. I even managed to secure second place, and since the competition ended, I have remained in the kitchen. My life has changed forever, and I am now a cook—finally doing something I love.
I earned a Master’s in cooking and creativity from the @bculinary , one of the world’s top culinary schools, a year ago. I have worked on various cooking projects for the past two years, including Michelin-starred restaurants, catering, and small businesses. Currently, I work as a freelancer, creating content on social media, working as a private chef, and producing events for big and small brands. I also enjoy organizing pop-ups in other chefs’ restaurants that I admire, and I hope to open my own place soon.
What is your favorite street food?
Noodles and soups!
Which restaurant or food stand do you recommend? (Different from yours) (Add its Instagram handle if possible)
@streetxo
What is your guilty pleasure?
Pain au chocolat
What ingredient do you find overrated?
Caviar or truffle
What ingredient do you think is underrated?
Any vegetable
What is your favorite kitchen tool?
Microplane
What is your worst kitchen nightmare?
Spilling oil all over (I’ve done it a couple times so I know how it feels haha).
Ronnie kelii lee-apolo
Ronnie kelii lee-apolo
I was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, and moved to San Jose, California, when I was 13. That’s where I got into the punk scene and started going to shows, drinking 40oz of King Cobras, and hanging around with skins, punx, skaters, taggers, and thugs. We were all outcasts of society, and that’s why I fell in love with being a cook; it was all the same. I went to a lot of different high schools but never graduated. I was smart but had a problem being present in any school.
It all seemed like a waste of time to me, just like anyone who pays to go to culinary school. I had no direction and couldn’t find anything I wanted to do, so I started working around 16. My first job was at Sprouts because I got tired of panhandling for beer. They eventually let me go, probably because of my tri-hawk and studded jacket. Later, I got a job at Famous Dave’s as a dishwasher, washing almost 300 trays daily, sometimes even more. I loved cleaning and learned everything about dishwashing – how to clean it and handle my domain, the dish pit.
That job shaped my entire life. Afterward, my long-time friend and lead singer of Mokosos got me a job at Google. Being 18 years old at Google sounded great! I found myself going to work for Bon Appétit under Chef Hilary Bergh. She opened the culinary door for me. After that, I worked two cooking jobs, then three.
I bought cookbooks and taught myself by learning from other chefs. Being cool helped me ground myself. I taught classes on cooking and learned all kinds of cooking styles, from classic French to pasta, Hawaiian, Asian, Mexican, and fusion. But I like my food how I like my music – from the streets. So, I stuck around making street food. I dug my hands into almost everything I could with cooking. Eventually, I started a page called Kitchen Rot @kitchen_rot and began doing food pop-ups supporting the local underground cooks.
What is your favorite street food?
Tamales, hot dogs, tacos, elote.
Which restaurant or food stand do you recommend? (Different from yours) (Add its Instagram handle if possible)
China chens in San Jose.
What is your guilty pleasure?
Hangover food, soups and a Mexican coke a cola
What ingredient do you find overrated?
Bay leaves I find them unnecessary
What ingredient do you think is underrated?
Water
What is your favorite kitchen tool?
Clever
What is your worst kitchen nightmare?
Forgetting something at closing time.
Zay Colli
Zay Colli
I was born and raised in Nunkini, a small town on the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. With my father and grandfather looking after the fields and my mother, aunts, and grandmother passing down their culinary knowledge and family recipes, falling in love with cooking was only natural for me, if not logical, then certainly a matter of time.
Growing up, it was common for us to gather as a family and cook together to make ‘Siintún,’ a typical dish from Nunkini. ‘Siintún’ is even older than the famous cochinita. If we trace back its origins, we find them in pre-Hispanic Yucatán. The Siintun was a preservation method used by hunters. When they went out for several days and caught an animal, they would dig a small hole in the ground, place stones over a bed of firewood that would heat up, then place the animal on leaves from nearby trees over those stones, cover it with more leaves, and finally bury it in dirt, letting it cook for hours while they continued hunting.
The flavors, ingredients, and family gatherings shaped my passion for preserving our cultural identity.
Globalization reaches everywhere. In the village market, where the best-selling items on the Day of the Dead used to be traditional sweets made from local fruits, today’s top sellers are Costco cakes. Where there used to be pride in tradition, today’s younger generations show rejection. And, of course, it’s painful because our food isn’t just something we enjoy—it’s our identity. Traditional dishes represent years of culture, teachings passed down through generations, conversations with your grandmother while cooking, direct connection to the land and what it gives us, admiration, and respect for our past. It’s who we are. If we trade that for the United States industrially made food, using ingredients grown in Colombia, flavored with chemicals from China, and sold in Mexico, then who are we? Where does our identity lie?
Today, I’m the chef at Keexti, a restaurant in Mérida, just an hour away from Nunkini. Whenever possible, I incorporate family recipes into what I do to showcase our traditions through my dishes and the pride I feel for my family’s legacy.
🎤 and 📸 @luisdavidaln
Pearl Steffie
Pearl Steffie
I grew up on a small island in the Philippines, where fine dining was a foreign concept in our simple way of life. As the oldest child in a single-parent family, I always wanted to go abroad and support my three siblings. At first, I enrolled in Hotel and Restaurant Management, but I quickly discovered that my true passion lies in cooking. My grandpa was a chef who inspired me to pursue my culinary dreams. Determined to honor his legacy, I boldly pursued culinary studies in a the big city, leaving behind the familiarity of island life.
When I stepped into culinary school, I was introduced to a vast array of ingredients and techniques that were previously unknown to me. This ignited a newfound passion for exploration and learning, and “I want to cook for the world” became my mantra.
After graduation, I embarked on a journey to Miami and eventually to Beverly Hills, where I established myself in an industry that often presents challenges for women of color. Despite the stereotypes and biases that I faced, I refused to be sidelined. I relentlessly proved my worth and climbed the ranks, finally realizing my dream of owning @kusaki_la, a restaurant in Los Angeles.
Throughout my journey, the memory of my beloved grandfather has been with me. He passed away during the pandemic, and his absence left a void in my life. But I know he is watching over me and is proud of my strides. I grew up on a humble island and later moved to Los Angeles, where I became a part of the competitive culinary scene.
My story is a testament to the fact that even the most ambitious dreams can be realized with determination and passion. Despite my success, I have faced criticism for switching to plant-based cooking. However, being a great chef means having an open mind and being eager to learn more. Switching to plant-based cuisine has challenged my skills and made me more creative, adding an exciting dimension to my work that I embrace wholeheartedly.
What is your favorite street food?
Tacos
Which restaurant or food stand do you recommend? (Different from yours) (Add its Instagram handle if possible)
Fiish Los Angeles
What is your guilty pleasure?
I can eat whole cake after a stressful day at work
What ingredient do you find overrated?
Beef
What ingredient do you think is underrated?
Citrus juices
What is your favorite kitchen tool?
Robot coupe
What is your worst kitchen nightmare?
When my dishwasher call in sick.
Paula Andrea
Paula Andrea
I’m from Bogota, and at 16, I started cooking with my mom. She took baking courses, and I fell in love with the kitchen. So, I decided to pursue a career in culinary arts. One mistake many students make is thinking that graduating from culinary school automatically makes you a chef or lets you skip many positions. But I’ve met many people who never attended culinary school and are now running kitchens. That’s because you need experience beyond studying and need to go through many different outcomes to become a true leader. And when a problem arises, you need to know precisely how to solve it.
During school, I started working part-time in Colombian BBQs. Then, I interned in a hotel kitchen, where I experienced the intensity of the work and the industry’s reality. Now, I can’t look back. The demanding hours have taught me many things beyond work life. I learned the basics of cooking good food for ourselves and our loved ones, which should be a must in a world of fast food. But the most rewarding part of the industry is how one meal can make people feel.
I almost gave up once when I had the opportunity to open a pizzeria from scratch, creating everything – the dough, the sauces, the sourcing – but suddenly, the owners got into a fight, and I found myself out of it. I felt so low because, as a cook, your food sometimes becomes an extension of yourself, and it can become personal. But the industry showed me its infinite diversity, and working in a place where fire was the main element and traditional food was the core made me find enough reasons to continue in the industry!
Today, I’m working in a place where food, drinks, and Tejo, a Colombian cultural recreational game, come together. I want to keep learning and giving my 100% to this industry, but as I grow, I hope the respect and remuneration in this industry do.
Emanuele Bearzi
Emanuele Bearzi
Growing up, my twin brother Roberto and I shared a dream of opening a restaurant in Italy, driven by the passion for cooking that our mother instilled in us. After completing culinary school, we both entered the restaurant industry. However, my journey diverged when I was called to serve in the military. Meanwhile, my brother, considered ‘too skinny’ for service, continued to refine his cooking skills by working in various restaurants in the city.
During my time in the military, I had my ups and downs, but I was fortunate to be assigned to do what I do best—spending a year on the base preparing pastries and food for the generals. After my service, my brother and I decided to relocate to Miami and pursue our dream of opening an Italian restaurant. We found the perfect spot in Downtown Miami for Ristorante Fratelli Milano, with historic architecture that felt reminiscent of Milan.
My brother Roberto took charge of the savory side while I focused on creating pastries and fresh pasta. With the flawless management of the front of the house by our partner, Fiorella, we established ourselves as the only traditional Italian restaurant in the area.
Witnessing the transformation of the city around us has been truly remarkable. Seeing the growth of loyal customers and employees who have supported and believed in us for 17 years is a daily inspiration. We plan to continue growing as our neighborhood does without losing our identity and offering that timeless comfort and hospitality we are known for.
During these years, we have ventured into other businesses and concepts, but I believe there is a profound connection between food, love, and the place you cook for – the people, the stories, and the history all matter.
This enduring connection with our specific location motivates me to return to the kitchen every morning, ensuring that our fresh pasta is always available and our pastry cooler remains well-stocked.
Roman Troncoso
Roman Troncoso
I am a Chilean who has been working since the age of 15. I started as a cupbearer, then moved on to being a waiter, bartender, and eventually a cook. I studied gastronomy because I feel like the kitchen is the only place where I can express myself by sharing stories and feelings through food.
It all started with my dad’s weekend BBQs. We used to have a great time together, laughing and enjoying delicious food. However, things changed when he passed away just before I started university. I found it difficult to show affection and communicate with others. To keep myself busy and meet new people, I started cooking. It helped me a lot, and most importantly, I remembered my dad’s words: ‘Be better every day, not better than anyone else, but improve yourself every day and support those who are by your side.’
After school, I got into catering and worked as an intern. Eventually, I became a sous chef and then a restaurant chef. I moved around quite a bit before starting my own business @Clandestino_FoodStudio. It hasn’t been a breeze, but I’ve learned a ton along the way. Nowadays, I’m an entrepreneur who teaches classes for women who run households, and I’m also a high school teacher. It’s been a tough road, but it’s a fantastic job because you experience the world outside four walls, contribute to culture science, and help pave the way for future generations.
Nowadays, I’m really into cooking recipes passed down from my grandparents or that have some historical significance. I think preserving and sharing our cultural heritage with younger generations is essential. It’s also cool that cooking allows me to explore different parts of the world and meet new people passionate about food and cooking.
What is your favorite street food?
Completos
Which restaurant or food stand do you recommend? (Different from yours) (Add its Instagram handle if possible)
@Patagonia.sushi
What is your guilty pleasure?
Una buena empanada de pino
What ingredient do you find overrated?
Pro
What ingredient do you think is underrated?
La Trufa
What is your favorite kitchen tool?
Soplete
What is your worst kitchen nightmare?
Las alergias alimentarias no informadas
Is there someone you would like to nominate for an interview? (Add Instagram handle)
@Josematamala_chef
Katarina Vrenc
I was born and raised in Croatia, where I developed an early love for cooking. Growing up in a small village, working hard, farming, caring for animals, and living in harmony with nature came naturally to me. However, when I moved to the city, I decided to study gastronomy to become a gastro journalist. Still, my career plans changed after my first experience working in a professional kitchen. I instantly realized the rush, hard work, teamwork, and risks involved in the kitchen, and I felt driven to become a chef.
Cooking and creating are my biggest passions and drives. Our restaurant concept, which we call “fun dining,” is far from the acceptable dining norms. We prepare honest food with a sharing plates philosophy while making it enjoyable. Sharing food with others is such an essential part of our culture. I’m all about keeping things simple, which is crucial to enjoying life. That’s why I absolutely love this tradition as a way of really connecting with others.
The kitchen is mentally and physically demanding, vibrant, changeable, and value-heavy, making it suitable for only some. However, cooking for others is one of the most intimate ways to express oneself. Creating dishes, providing people with a new experience through food, and telling your story at the table where everything begins and ends are some of the most beautiful feelings in the world.
I am grateful to work at @sopalzgb with a fantastic team of young, supportive, hard-working, and intelligent individuals who share the same goal. I believe that my responsibility is to create a pleasant and healthy family environment in our kitchen because the energy and coexistence of our small community are reflected in every dish we serve.
In the future, I hope the industry prioritizes the well-being of its workers by creating sustainable working conditions. The current norm of working 16 or more hours daily to keep up with trends needs to change.
What is your favorite street food?
A good bowl of Ramen. It cures every stressful day and hangover too. 🙂
Which restaurant or food stand do you recommend? (Different from yours) (Add its Instagram handle if possible)
Restaurant Gola in Zagreb. A great place to eat hearty food and have a glass of good natural wine.
What is your guilty pleasure?
Wine and bread. Always seeking for more.
What ingredient do you find overrated?
There is no such ingredient . I believe we should have a huge respect for every ingredient nature gave us.
What ingredient do you think is underrated?
Blue fish.
What is your favorite kitchen tool?
Knife.
What is your worst kitchen nightmare?
To loose the passion for cooking and still doing that.