Page 59 - Winter/Spring 2015 Issue

By: Cecile Anthony
Q. What was life like growing up for you? What kind of family did you grow up in?
A: Life growing up for me was hard. I was born in Baltimore County, but raised in Baltimore City. My mom did the best she coulddoandtriedherbesttokeepmeandmysiblingssafe. AnyonefromBaltimoreknowsthedifferencebetweenthetwo, being born in one and raised in the other, gave me diversity and this transition prepared me for my journey and it helped shaped my persona.
Q. How old were you when you knew this was your calling and what you were going to do with the rest of your life?

A: This is a 2 part answer. I grew up in the outskirts of Baltimore County, but always traveled to Baltimore City to visit my grandmother. I would like to say that I first got intrigued about cooking around the age of 11. My grandmother was a fantastic cook and I thought everything she cooked was great. From childhood watching my grandmother cook and then going home and asking her the ingredients she used and then going home to try to make it myself, it kept me in the kitchen and/or around food. I think I knew I this was what I wanted to for the rest of my life after taking a break and pursuing other business ventures and realizing my happiness lied within in the kitchen and with food. At that point, I knew I was going to be a chef.
Q. Were you a dreamer growing up? What kind of dreams did you have?
A. I was always a dreamer and to some point, to this day, still have big dreams and hopes. When I was younger, I dreamed of being rich, famous, having kids and a beautiful wife. Overall I wanted to have a lot of money. For the most, a lot of my dreams came true. The only thing missing is the beautiful wife and a little bit more money, lol. I also knew I wanted to be a business owner. I learned “either you own a business or you work for the person who owns a business.” I knew I wanted to own my own business, so I am also still pursuing that dream.
Q. Where were you born and where do you reside?
A. BornandraisedinBaltimore,MD. IeventuallymovedtoAtlanta,GeorgiabeforecurrentlyresidinginSanFrancisco, California. I come from a great family, but life in Baltimore was hard. Moving to California has given me an opportunity to move steadfastly as a Chef and has allowed me to learn different ethnic backgrounds from Spanish to Asian to Indian and so forth. In pursuit of becoming a Chef, I also thought it was imperative to travel to different states and learn different cultures and cuisines.

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