My name is Imrun Texeira. I was born in Ottawa, Canada, and currently reside in Toronto.

I started working as a dishwasher in a family-style restaurant at 14 years old– partly with an interest in kitchen life and the need for financial support – and quickly worked my way into the line with cooks double my age. I took my culinary apprenticeship program at Algonquin College in Ottawa, Canada, and became a certified Red Seal Chef at the age of 23.

I’ve loved food since I was a child; eager to cook, but mostly to eat good food. As a toddler, I almost burnt down my house trying to cook bagels in a plastic bag on top of an old element stove top. It didn’t turn out so well haha!

One of the things I love most about cooking is getting to nourish people, and creating edible art with my hands feels fantastic. There is nothing else I would rather do. I love to cook, eat, and be around good food. The food we make and the effort we put into it is a true reflection of ourselves.

During my time at Noma, I was paired up with another chef to put up staff meals for a week. We were told to make Indian food based on our heritage, so we did. The staff loved all the food and flavors. It was great to see. It gave me a deeper appreciation for the food of my homeland and a desire to represent those flavors in the highest realms of cooking.

Passion is 99% of the reason one would go into this line of work. Beautiful things can happen when you bring that many passionate people together. You never know what you can learn from everyone. The knowledge is endless.We live in the most multicultural country in the world.

I am blessed to be surrounded by such diverse food choices and talented hospitality professionals. Representation matters and will inspire more to come into this industry if they feel they can obtain greatness too.