About the Chef

 

It all started the day I could see over the counter in my mom’s kitchen. I remember making pretend dishes for my grandmother at her Tupperware parties at the tender age of five. My imaginary cakes, pies, and entrees tasted great to me. Ma though they tasted good too.

My mother was very supportive of my desire and passion for cooking. We didn’t have a lot of money readily available to us, so there was one rule. Whatever you cook; you have to eat it, no matter what the outcome. I experimented day after day with quiches, cookies, spaghetti, and anything else I could get my hands on.

I attended a Food Service and Hospitality class for two years while in high school with the firm intention of going straight to culinary school. The military recruiter was nice enough to remind me that school was expensive and that I would need money to attend. Dream deferred.

“My love of cooking, my travels almost around the world and my passion for the culinary world drives me crazy. Nothing makes me happier than seeing the smile on someone’s face and the comfortable silence that says — I love it”.

-Chef Jaleel