Raheem
“You get comfortable working for others after some time. It’s like muscle memory; you show up and you just do the same thing every single day. At the end of the two weeks you know you’re going to get the same paycheck. Ultimately, you’re making constant money so there’s no need for you to go out there and try to do something on your own, to try to do anything because you’re comfortable where you are. But as soon as we got knocked off our asses, we weren’t all comfortable anymore, and suddenly you begin to think about how you’re going to make a living – what’s the next step.
For me, I was comfortable in my position but I still wanted to do something else, now finally having time to myself – because I usually never do; with a push from my wife who’s always been telling me I’m too talented to be working for someone else, I spoke to my brother and we decided to just do it.
We decided to do BBQ and it’s been very good, but my big thing with this project is to be able to give back, I don’t want to be rich – I want to be comfortable, but I want everyone around me to be comfortable as well. I want to help the people out here that need it, to take care and nourish people, so that I can bring them together.
I feel like my job is the best job in the world, I get to do what I love, and I get to feed families, friends. To bring people together no matter what issues they’ve had. The goal’s to give back and take care of everybody.”
Medium Raw
"I do think the idea that basic cooking skills are a virtue, that the ability to feed yourself and a few others with proficiency should be taught to every young man and woman as a fundamental skill, should become as vital to growing up as learning to wipe one's own ass, cross the street by yourself, or be trusted with money."
Anthony Bourdain, Medium Raw
Kevin
“You don’t become a sushi chef overnight – at least not in our culture. It took me 14 years to be where I am today.
I came here to the U.S. because I got an opportunity to work alongside a restaurant group, and if there’s one major thing I have come to understand through my experience is that, as cooks, we need to be willing to adjust to the city or location that we’re working in. I won’t deny that authenticity has a place and I do appreciate authentic dishes that stick to tradition; but once you begin to understand what your guests and customers truly want, and the seasonality of your location, you begin to find unexplored flavors that ultimately help you evolve as a cook.”
