WEBVTT - Comida y Cultura with Chef Ariel Fox 0:00:03.640 --> 0:00:07.080 I love cooking Mexican food. I love cooking American food. 0:00:07.120 --> 0:00:09.160 I'm really good at also diet food. I wish I 0:00:09.160 --> 0:00:11.280 could cook a little more. I'm a chef, but I 0:00:11.280 --> 0:00:14.240 can hold my own. I have good sasson what are 0:00:14.240 --> 0:00:16.119 like some easy tips that you can give people to 0:00:16.200 --> 0:00:18.520 just make healthy choices. If you're going to make a 0:00:18.600 --> 0:00:21.639 decision to make a change, you really got to do 0:00:21.680 --> 0:00:26.440 a purge in your pantry. There's a lot more Mexican 0:00:26.680 --> 0:00:30.120 restaurants in New York, more Puerto Rican restaurants, So I 0:00:30.160 --> 0:00:32.839 think now that these restaurants are kind of popping up, 0:00:32.840 --> 0:00:40.479 there's definitely a lot more space for a lot and chefs. 0:00:40.479 --> 0:00:43.080 Happy Monday. If this is your first time listening to 0:00:43.200 --> 0:00:46.280 Cheeks and Chill podcast, welcome If you're one of my 0:00:46.320 --> 0:00:50.040 incredible subscribers, welcome back. I'm your host, cheek Ease, and 0:00:50.080 --> 0:00:52.000 today we're going to be talking about one of my 0:00:52.080 --> 0:00:56.840 favorite topics food. We have the most amazing guest for 0:00:56.880 --> 0:00:59.080 you today, so let's hop right into this week's episode. 0:00:59.120 --> 0:01:08.720 This is Cheeky Ease and Chill. I'm really looking forward 0:01:08.760 --> 0:01:11.040 to today's show because if you know me, you know 0:01:11.280 --> 0:01:14.240 I love food. I've always loved food, and I love 0:01:14.280 --> 0:01:16.040 to cook as well. Many people don't know that, but 0:01:16.080 --> 0:01:17.640 I like to cook, as you guys know. I have 0:01:17.680 --> 0:01:20.560 a chickie keto book. It's called Cheese Ketto and it 0:01:20.720 --> 0:01:23.600 is a book about keto. But when I started doing 0:01:23.680 --> 0:01:27.920 Keto lifestyle, I couldn't find any like you know, Like 0:01:27.959 --> 0:01:31.160 I'm Mexican, I want spice, I want flavor, you know. 0:01:31.280 --> 0:01:33.319 So I did it with my friend Sarah. I love 0:01:33.360 --> 0:01:36.880 cooking Mexican food. I love cooking American food. I'm really 0:01:36.880 --> 0:01:40.440 good at also like quote unquote diet food. But anyways, 0:01:41.240 --> 0:01:43.759 I think now is a good time to welcome our guest, 0:01:43.959 --> 0:01:46.479 chef Aerial Fox. You might know her from the hit 0:01:46.560 --> 0:01:50.520 show Hell's Kitchen, hosted by chef Gordon Ramsey. She was 0:01:50.560 --> 0:01:52.840 a contestant on season six and came back on the 0:01:52.880 --> 0:01:56.000 show to compete in season eighteen, which she won. By 0:01:56.040 --> 0:01:59.600 the way, She's currently the regional vice president of culinary 0:02:00.120 --> 0:02:04.640 at Del Friscos and Dulls Caminos restaurants. She also has 0:02:04.680 --> 0:02:09.240 a new cookbook called Spice Kitchen, Healthy Latin and Caribbean Cuisine. 0:02:09.280 --> 0:02:12.240 Sounds interesting. I love that. Chef Ariel, Welcome to the show. 0:02:12.280 --> 0:02:15.400 How are you good? Good? Thank you for having me. 0:02:15.520 --> 0:02:18.960 I'm excited to be here, okay, Ariel. So, like I 0:02:18.960 --> 0:02:21.799 said earlier, we are talking about like my one of 0:02:21.840 --> 0:02:25.000 my favorite subjects food, and I can't remember like when 0:02:25.000 --> 0:02:26.679 I was little at my grandma's house. I was raised 0:02:26.680 --> 0:02:30.080 by my grandma. There were always always like beans on 0:02:30.120 --> 0:02:34.600 the stove. The house always smells like yeah, with a 0:02:34.600 --> 0:02:36.400 little bit of pine sulk because my grandma, which is 0:02:36.440 --> 0:02:38.440 clean all day, but I would always smell the beans 0:02:38.560 --> 0:02:41.119 and that's what we would eat almost every single day. 0:02:41.480 --> 0:02:45.639 It was like beans with potatoes, and there was always 0:02:45.720 --> 0:02:48.799 right some type of protein. So what are your earliest 0:02:48.800 --> 0:02:52.200 memories being in the kitchen? Well, I grew up with, 0:02:52.280 --> 0:02:54.280 you know, a couple of grandmothers, as a lot of 0:02:54.360 --> 0:02:56.800 us do, and I had my grandmother on my Latin 0:02:56.840 --> 0:02:59.520 side and my grandmother on my Irish and German side. 0:02:59.680 --> 0:03:03.400 It's funny because I have mixed memories very South American 0:03:03.480 --> 0:03:09.320 cuisine and then very European cuisine. But my grandmother on 0:03:09.400 --> 0:03:13.360 my Irish and German side, it's really interesting. She started 0:03:13.400 --> 0:03:16.200 to dabble in a lot of ethnic foods as well, 0:03:16.840 --> 0:03:19.440 so it kind of all got intermingled. When I was 0:03:19.520 --> 0:03:21.400 growing up. I mean, you know, we would go down 0:03:21.440 --> 0:03:24.000 and visit my father's family in Columbia, so I had 0:03:24.080 --> 0:03:28.400 very early memories of conk stew and everything was very 0:03:28.440 --> 0:03:34.480 sweet and spicy and very fattening in the in the 0:03:34.520 --> 0:03:38.480 Colombian Islands is actually from Andreas, so it's very kind 0:03:38.480 --> 0:03:42.440 of the Caribbean, and they had some East Indian background 0:03:42.440 --> 0:03:44.920 as well, So I mean I just grew up with 0:03:45.000 --> 0:03:49.800 like this intense variety of spices and flavors, and I 0:03:49.840 --> 0:03:53.680 think my mom sort of took pieces of all of 0:03:53.720 --> 0:03:57.280 that and it was really cool because you know, I 0:03:57.320 --> 0:03:59.520 didn't realize how special it was growing up, but it 0:03:59.600 --> 0:04:01.960 was like the night of the week was a different cuisine. 0:04:02.120 --> 0:04:04.280 And you know, she will tell you she's a great 0:04:04.280 --> 0:04:06.760 cook and she's afraid to cook for me now, but 0:04:06.880 --> 0:04:09.040 my mom killed it. Every night of the week. It 0:04:09.120 --> 0:04:12.720 was like a different something from my background. And it 0:04:12.800 --> 0:04:15.320 was awesome because I got to kind of go around 0:04:15.360 --> 0:04:18.080 the world. We had a Talian night, we had curry night, 0:04:18.200 --> 0:04:20.360 we had you know, we had everything, So it was amazing. 0:04:21.400 --> 0:04:23.600 That's so cool. Yeah, Like that's one thing like a 0:04:23.600 --> 0:04:25.880 lot of people would think my mom doesn't know or 0:04:25.880 --> 0:04:28.000 didn't know how to cook, but it's just like she 0:04:28.040 --> 0:04:29.599 really did, and she would She was the type of 0:04:29.600 --> 0:04:31.760 mom that would go into the kitchen or go into 0:04:31.760 --> 0:04:34.760 the refrigerator and find literally I felt like there was 0:04:34.800 --> 0:04:36.920 nothing there. I was like, there's nothing I eat, you know, 0:04:37.040 --> 0:04:39.200 and she's like, of course there is, and she'd pull 0:04:39.240 --> 0:04:42.160 out all kinds of ship and she'd make something so delicious, 0:04:42.200 --> 0:04:43.919 and I'm like, oh damn, I guess there's just like 0:04:43.920 --> 0:04:45.480 you just gotta look and you have to use your 0:04:45.480 --> 0:04:48.120 imagination and all those all those things help me now 0:04:48.360 --> 0:04:50.560 because I wish I could cook a little more. I mean, 0:04:50.600 --> 0:04:52.440 I'm not chef like you, of course, but I'm like 0:04:52.560 --> 0:04:54.440 I can hold my own. I have good saso and 0:04:54.560 --> 0:04:56.600 you know, but it's awesome because you have so many 0:04:56.600 --> 0:04:58.960 different backgrounds that it's just I think you can bring 0:04:59.360 --> 0:05:02.000 all of that when you're cooking. I think that's amazing. 0:05:02.200 --> 0:05:05.320 It's like I love Caribbean food two oh my god. 0:05:05.640 --> 0:05:08.760 Like I feel like it's very similar to Mexican. They 0:05:08.839 --> 0:05:12.400 love a lot of cards on their plates, right, and 0:05:12.440 --> 0:05:15.919 there's a lot of mix of like savory and sweet 0:05:16.040 --> 0:05:17.880 like in the meal. So it's like you have to 0:05:17.920 --> 0:05:20.440 have It's funny because everyone talks about mommy now and 0:05:20.440 --> 0:05:23.599 I'm like, okay, well that was around like forever mommy was. 0:05:24.000 --> 0:05:27.560 That's there's like Latin mommy too, right, you have the spice, sweet, 0:05:27.600 --> 0:05:30.760 little savory, and then you had like all the different 0:05:30.839 --> 0:05:34.599 allspice and human and you know, all of those flavors together. 0:05:34.800 --> 0:05:38.520 So god, I just I love talking about food. I 0:05:38.600 --> 0:05:40.479 just me too, me too, which is why I'm like, 0:05:40.480 --> 0:05:43.680 I'm so happy that you're here. I just started using human. Actually, 0:05:44.000 --> 0:05:47.360 my to go things are, of course, salt, pepper. I 0:05:47.400 --> 0:05:49.680 love garlic powder. You guys like, I feel like I 0:05:49.760 --> 0:05:52.640 use garlic powder on everything. I love onion. I think 0:05:52.640 --> 0:05:54.560 like those are for me, my basics. But I just 0:05:54.600 --> 0:05:56.880 started using like, I don't know, how do you pronounce it? Okay, 0:05:56.920 --> 0:06:00.120 always say papa, but what is it the real? How 0:06:00.160 --> 0:06:02.839 do you really We just called paprika and you know, 0:06:03.240 --> 0:06:05.120 but but you could say it in the Spanish because 0:06:05.120 --> 0:06:08.240 there's Spanish smoked paprika, so it's you know, either way, 0:06:08.240 --> 0:06:12.320 it's fine. I haven't tried the smoked paprika. It's so yeah. 0:06:12.839 --> 0:06:14.560 A friend of mine just started users, like you have 0:06:14.680 --> 0:06:16.720 to use it. I can't remember what she was cooking. 0:06:17.120 --> 0:06:21.760 But anyways, acumen, you guys and Paprika are also really good. 0:06:21.800 --> 0:06:24.919 I'm trying to expand my sissoning and like my herbs, 0:06:25.320 --> 0:06:27.640 so I'm getting better. I'm getting better at that. Um. 0:06:27.720 --> 0:06:29.919 So Arie'll tell us how old were you when you 0:06:29.960 --> 0:06:32.120 started cooking? Like, do you remember like the first time 0:06:32.200 --> 0:06:36.440 you cook something on your own? I was very young. 0:06:36.560 --> 0:06:39.640 I think my grandmother and my mother were very cool 0:06:39.680 --> 0:06:41.359 about letting me be in the kitchen. I think I 0:06:41.440 --> 0:06:44.920 was a mature kid, and I think I was responsible. 0:06:45.080 --> 0:06:47.440 I don't really remember the point when I like learned 0:06:47.440 --> 0:06:49.600 how to use a knife. I think that they let 0:06:49.640 --> 0:06:52.200 me help, like in their way, you know, was stirring 0:06:52.279 --> 0:06:54.520 and needing if we were making some kind of dough. 0:06:54.880 --> 0:06:58.520 But I definitely remember my mom teaching, like you said, 0:06:58.600 --> 0:07:02.239 that kind of lesson of figuring out how to make something. 0:07:02.320 --> 0:07:03.880 Was very little in the house. I feel like we 0:07:04.000 --> 0:07:05.840 never had anything in the house, and so I would 0:07:05.880 --> 0:07:08.359 get home from school and I would be and my 0:07:08.400 --> 0:07:10.760 mom will should be so mad at me for saying that, 0:07:10.800 --> 0:07:13.040 But it just felt like we didn't have anything. But 0:07:13.080 --> 0:07:15.240 we also just had very healthy things in the house. 0:07:15.440 --> 0:07:19.760 You didn't have a pantry full of like Doritos and whatever. 0:07:19.920 --> 0:07:22.080 Like my friends would all have these crazy snack a 0:07:22.120 --> 0:07:24.720 bowls and lunch a bowls and pizza pockets, and I 0:07:24.760 --> 0:07:28.600 would get home and I'd have like avocados and green 0:07:28.680 --> 0:07:32.080 beans and you know, just stuff. Oh my gosh. My 0:07:32.160 --> 0:07:34.520 mom was the same way. So I was like, this 0:07:34.600 --> 0:07:37.840 is so unfair. We never have any food. My Mom's like, 0:07:37.840 --> 0:07:39.800 we have lots of food, just have to make something. 0:07:39.920 --> 0:07:42.640 So I would, you know, make myself like an avocado 0:07:42.840 --> 0:07:47.600 and sprouts and cucumber sandwich with like Chilian lime, and 0:07:47.760 --> 0:07:49.520 you know, I just learned at a young age how 0:07:49.560 --> 0:07:53.480 to kind of start throwing things together with fresh kind 0:07:53.480 --> 0:07:56.440 of seasonal ingredients. And I didn't even realize that was, 0:07:57.400 --> 0:08:00.800 you know, valuable to learn at that wars And I'm 0:08:00.800 --> 0:08:02.360 sure like as a kids who were like, oh my 0:08:02.400 --> 0:08:04.360 mom is so boring, but now you think her, I'm 0:08:04.400 --> 0:08:06.520 sure if it wasn't for her, And that's how I 0:08:06.520 --> 0:08:08.920 feel as well. So like my mom was the same way. 0:08:09.000 --> 0:08:11.520 I did not have a fun pantry or anything fun 0:08:11.520 --> 0:08:13.160 in the house, you know. And I was that kid 0:08:13.320 --> 0:08:15.680 that would pull out the lunch cell and I had 0:08:15.720 --> 0:08:18.600 like aburto wrapping like the wuminum foil, and I'm just 0:08:18.680 --> 0:08:20.120 like I was the only one, and all the kids 0:08:20.120 --> 0:08:22.400 had their lunchables and their little cute little juices, the 0:08:22.440 --> 0:08:26.840 ones that come what are they called the little packs, Yes, 0:08:27.640 --> 0:08:31.360 the caprisa. And my mom would squeeze grapefruit juice for me, 0:08:31.400 --> 0:08:33.360 okay in the morning and put it in this little 0:08:33.400 --> 0:08:35.240 like thing that wasn't I think it was like a 0:08:35.280 --> 0:08:37.240 like water bottle, and she would just like drink the 0:08:37.240 --> 0:08:39.880 water and put it in there. My mom was so resourceful. 0:08:40.160 --> 0:08:42.360 She was like, you're not gonna be fat when you 0:08:42.400 --> 0:08:44.920 grow up. And and that's why I have in my head, 0:08:44.960 --> 0:08:47.640 you know, because I think she grew up overweight and 0:08:47.720 --> 0:08:50.280 she wanted to always like instill in us, eat healthy, 0:08:50.559 --> 0:08:53.319 non fat milk all the time, egg whites, like all 0:08:53.360 --> 0:08:55.679 those things. That's funny that you mentioned that, because it's 0:08:55.760 --> 0:08:58.200 like totally took me back, and I'm like, oh my goodness, 0:08:58.400 --> 0:09:00.800 And now I thank her. I know, I'm thankful for 0:09:00.880 --> 0:09:04.760 it now because I'm able to embrace that healthy lifestyle 0:09:04.840 --> 0:09:07.360 and it's you know, it's so much easier for for 0:09:07.480 --> 0:09:10.440 some people. And that's what part of writing the book is, 0:09:10.520 --> 0:09:12.840 you know, that's not an easy start for some people 0:09:12.880 --> 0:09:15.800 to clean up their lifestyle. They don't really know where 0:09:15.920 --> 0:09:19.920 to begin, and that was important for me to just 0:09:20.000 --> 0:09:22.440 kind of help. This is how you can start, you know, 0:09:22.920 --> 0:09:26.880 yeah for sure. And when did you find out you 0:09:26.880 --> 0:09:29.120 wanted to be a chef? Like when when was that? Like? 0:09:29.360 --> 0:09:33.240 How old were you? I don't think I necessarily knew 0:09:33.280 --> 0:09:35.560 at the exact time, but I did work on an 0:09:35.640 --> 0:09:38.920 organic farm in Watsonville, California, when I was a nice school. 0:09:39.400 --> 0:09:42.640 It's a migrant Mexican town, a big farm working town, 0:09:43.200 --> 0:09:46.240 um where a lot of this country's produce comes from 0:09:46.280 --> 0:09:49.679 that area in California. So it was really cool. I 0:09:49.720 --> 0:09:52.320 got to work on that farm and grow organic vegetables 0:09:52.360 --> 0:09:54.520 when they were like, you know, farm to table wasn't 0:09:54.559 --> 0:09:57.440 even a word yet, you know, people didn't really have 0:09:57.600 --> 0:10:00.640 that slogan, and that we used to sell all vegetables 0:10:00.679 --> 0:10:02.960 at the San Francisco Farmers Market to a lot of 0:10:02.960 --> 0:10:06.200 really famous chefs. And I think it definitely planted a 0:10:06.280 --> 0:10:08.600 seed for me. I don't think. Um, you know, I 0:10:08.640 --> 0:10:11.840 was going to school for math and science and halfway 0:10:11.840 --> 0:10:15.000 through I told my mom, I'm like, so, yeah, I 0:10:15.000 --> 0:10:17.160 don't want to go to regular college. Anymore, I want 0:10:17.160 --> 0:10:21.120 to go to culinary school. Nice. I think I kissed 0:10:21.120 --> 0:10:23.080 my parents off pretty bad. I think it took about 0:10:23.160 --> 0:10:28.160 ten years at least after graduating culinary school for them 0:10:28.200 --> 0:10:29.960 to be like, oh, I guess this is this is 0:10:29.960 --> 0:10:32.800 gonna stays the thing. So yeah, And I think that 0:10:32.880 --> 0:10:35.280 happens a lot in our Latin culture. I mean, correct 0:10:35.280 --> 0:10:37.640 me if I'm wrong. They want us to be doctors 0:10:37.760 --> 0:10:39.560 or they want us to go to school to be 0:10:39.640 --> 0:10:42.000 like like this like and it's great. But then when 0:10:42.000 --> 0:10:43.280 you do something like I want to be a makeup 0:10:43.360 --> 0:10:44.760 artist or I want to, you know, be a chef, 0:10:44.840 --> 0:10:46.400 They're just kind of like, well, I guess, so I 0:10:46.440 --> 0:10:49.160 want to say why, But then it's you've proven yourself, 0:10:49.160 --> 0:10:51.439 you said after ten years, they were like, oh, okay, 0:10:51.600 --> 0:11:00.800 she's great at it. It's working out. You were on 0:11:00.880 --> 0:11:03.520 that show on Hell's Kitchen, which that was freaking awesome, 0:11:03.520 --> 0:11:06.440 by the way, thank you. How was that experience? I 0:11:06.559 --> 0:11:08.600 was wild, I mean the first time. I think I 0:11:08.679 --> 0:11:12.360 was a little young and a little shy. I definitely 0:11:12.400 --> 0:11:15.120 didn't push myself, you know, to the limit. But I 0:11:15.160 --> 0:11:17.240 always told myself, man, if they ever called me back, 0:11:17.760 --> 0:11:20.640 I am so walking in there and taking this thing 0:11:20.760 --> 0:11:24.440 and literally like ten years to the day from the 0:11:24.480 --> 0:11:26.880 first time, not to the day, but like to the 0:11:27.080 --> 0:11:29.240 It was like the same month they must feel, you know, 0:11:29.320 --> 0:11:30.880 cast and film in the same month, but it was 0:11:30.920 --> 0:11:33.480 like ten years later. They said they were doing All 0:11:33.480 --> 0:11:36.800 Star seasons and I'm like, absolutely, I'm gonna gonna go 0:11:36.840 --> 0:11:39.480 in there and this time I'm gonna win it. And 0:11:39.600 --> 0:11:42.960 you did. That's awesome. That is so great. How is 0:11:43.000 --> 0:11:45.360 he actually? I was gonna ask you that too, m Ramsey. 0:11:45.400 --> 0:11:48.920 Is he cool? He's cool. He's he's definitely rough. He's 0:11:49.040 --> 0:11:52.520 very intimidating. When he's looking at you, it's like he's 0:11:52.559 --> 0:11:55.400 staring at your soul when he asks you a question. 0:11:55.679 --> 0:11:59.240 So it's very like, be honest, don't bullshit him if 0:11:59.240 --> 0:12:02.000 you mess up in your mistakes. I mean, he doesn't 0:12:02.000 --> 0:12:05.640 really yell like that normal life, but he's intimidating. If 0:12:05.640 --> 0:12:08.559 he walks into a kitchen, you straighten up, you pay attention, 0:12:08.640 --> 0:12:11.360 and he definitely listen to what he tells you to do. 0:12:11.440 --> 0:12:13.560 He knows what he's doing. He's the real deal. He 0:12:13.600 --> 0:12:16.120 knows how to cook. Like you wouldn't believe I was 0:12:16.120 --> 0:12:19.000 gonna ask you because I'm sure this is my take 0:12:19.040 --> 0:12:21.680 on it or what I've noticed that there are. It's 0:12:21.720 --> 0:12:25.839 a very also like culinary culinary industry is very male dominated, 0:12:26.080 --> 0:12:30.199 is that right? Absolutely? I mean my whole career, I've 0:12:30.200 --> 0:12:33.719 been the only female in the kitchen in pent of 0:12:33.760 --> 0:12:35.560 the time, and if there is another female, it's a 0:12:35.559 --> 0:12:39.560 pastry chef, which there's nothing wrong than I absolutely respect 0:12:39.600 --> 0:12:43.040 all of my fellow pastry chefs, all my girlfriends in 0:12:43.080 --> 0:12:45.560 the kitchen or pastry chefs. But I always told myself, 0:12:45.559 --> 0:12:48.680 I want to be a savory chef, a chef, and 0:12:49.160 --> 0:12:52.240 it's been a it's definitely been a male dominated industry. 0:12:52.440 --> 0:12:55.120 Why do you think that is? I mean, because there 0:12:55.120 --> 0:12:57.800 are always women in the kitchen, especially us growing up. 0:12:58.559 --> 0:13:01.360 It's funny. I went to a French culinary school and 0:13:01.360 --> 0:13:03.760 one of the things they taught in food histories a 0:13:03.840 --> 0:13:08.120 lot of cultures when it came to chefs in hotels 0:13:08.120 --> 0:13:11.160 and kitchens. It was just like Japanese culture where they 0:13:11.160 --> 0:13:13.560 would not train women how to make sushi, where it 0:13:13.600 --> 0:13:16.280 was a privilege. It was the same in the cuisine 0:13:16.320 --> 0:13:20.160 of France. It was like women weren't allowed in the kitchen, 0:13:20.160 --> 0:13:24.000 which is so funny because at home, it's predominantly women 0:13:24.000 --> 0:13:26.480 in the kitchen, so it's really interesting. It became sort 0:13:26.480 --> 0:13:28.000 of like this I don't know what the word is 0:13:28.040 --> 0:13:30.000 I'm looking for, but it was like, once it became 0:13:30.120 --> 0:13:34.120 industry or a money making situation, it was like, Okay, 0:13:34.120 --> 0:13:35.920 well we don't We're not going to train women how 0:13:35.920 --> 0:13:38.400 to do this. And it's like, wait a minute, we 0:13:38.480 --> 0:13:43.360 trained you how to do this exactly, you how to cook. 0:13:45.520 --> 0:13:48.120 Have you ever walked into a kitchen and error? And 0:13:48.240 --> 0:13:50.160 do you feel like intimidated or anything like that? Have 0:13:50.240 --> 0:13:55.280 you ever felt that? Maybe my first six months, but 0:13:55.440 --> 0:13:58.200 after that it was like you either got to just 0:13:58.600 --> 0:14:00.920 you fake it till you make it, Like how many 0:14:00.920 --> 0:14:03.959 different metaphors fake it till you make it? Uh, sink 0:14:04.040 --> 0:14:07.360 or swim? You gotta like roll with the boys. I 0:14:07.400 --> 0:14:08.960 hate to say it that way, but I had to 0:14:09.320 --> 0:14:11.760 had to show them. I'm sure I acted in ways 0:14:11.760 --> 0:14:13.560 that I if I'm looking back on it, I would 0:14:13.640 --> 0:14:16.200 say that it's unfortunate I had to be that way 0:14:16.360 --> 0:14:20.080 as a young woman in the industry just to be accepted. 0:14:20.720 --> 0:14:23.320 Looking back on and it's like, wow, that was kind 0:14:23.320 --> 0:14:27.040 of not cool, you know, Yeah, And did you ever 0:14:27.080 --> 0:14:28.480 feel like you wanted to quit, like you're like, not 0:14:28.600 --> 0:14:30.400 forget this, I'm not going to do this, or did 0:14:30.400 --> 0:14:32.360 you feel like this is what I want? Probably a 0:14:32.400 --> 0:14:35.040 million times, but I knew it's what I wanted. I 0:14:35.160 --> 0:14:38.760 just I couldn't quit. But there were days where it 0:14:38.920 --> 0:14:43.640 was like what am I doing? Man? You know? Yeah, no, 0:14:43.760 --> 0:14:45.800 I feel you. I feel you because even in my industry, 0:14:45.800 --> 0:14:49.120 it's still like, you know, we're in the regional Mexican space, 0:14:49.160 --> 0:14:51.440 and I think all music it's very difficult for women 0:14:51.480 --> 0:14:54.040 to be accepted completely. You know, it's very male dominated. 0:14:54.080 --> 0:14:56.600 So it's just you have to have that fire within 0:14:56.680 --> 0:14:58.720 and say, Okay, I'm just gonna keep on trucking. I'm 0:14:58.720 --> 0:15:01.680 gonna keep pressing forward. Um. And of course you just 0:15:01.680 --> 0:15:03.840 want to like throw in the towel, but thank goodness 0:15:03.840 --> 0:15:05.600 you don't, because it's right when you're like you want 0:15:05.600 --> 0:15:08.200 to give up, something happens and it's like boom, why 0:15:08.280 --> 0:15:11.840 when you almost give up? Right? Yeah, I think I 0:15:11.880 --> 0:15:14.320 got my first break. You know, people always say, oh, 0:15:14.560 --> 0:15:17.600 was it the show? I'm like, no, I am where 0:15:17.640 --> 0:15:20.240 I am today because I worked my butt off together. 0:15:21.440 --> 0:15:25.520 It was great, but that wasn't what propelled my career. 0:15:25.560 --> 0:15:30.400 I remember getting my first real chef position, you know. 0:15:30.560 --> 0:15:33.360 From there, I just never really looked back, you know, 0:15:33.480 --> 0:15:36.680 and I had taken a couple steps sideways. I think 0:15:36.680 --> 0:15:38.920 one of the things that women really do well in 0:15:39.200 --> 0:15:43.320 whatever field is they know when it's appropriate to take 0:15:43.360 --> 0:15:45.040 a step down or take a step to the side 0:15:45.080 --> 0:15:47.640 in order to get to the next step. And I 0:15:47.680 --> 0:15:49.360 did it, and I finally realized when it was the 0:15:49.480 --> 0:15:55.040 last time, like now I'm only taking this position and up. 0:15:55.080 --> 0:15:57.320 But I did, you know, I played it right and 0:15:57.360 --> 0:15:59.280 I made some good moves, and I think that was 0:15:59.840 --> 0:16:02.160 very a key was just knowing what moves to make 0:16:02.200 --> 0:16:06.000 in your career. And sometimes I took big pay cuts, 0:16:06.120 --> 0:16:08.480 but you know what, it paid off in other ways. 0:16:08.640 --> 0:16:12.200 And you know, twenty two years later, here we are. 0:16:12.480 --> 0:16:14.840 You know, I'm not I'm not a cocky person. I 0:16:15.520 --> 0:16:18.920 very hard on myself. Um, but it took until very 0:16:18.960 --> 0:16:21.920 recently to say I'm good at what I do and 0:16:21.960 --> 0:16:24.640 that I can you know, on the business side too, 0:16:25.240 --> 0:16:26.880 you know, it's not just the chef side. There are 0:16:26.880 --> 0:16:29.200 a lot of different types of chef jobs, and more 0:16:29.240 --> 0:16:32.040 power to the chef that's working on the line every 0:16:32.080 --> 0:16:34.400 day and a small mom and pop place. That's if 0:16:34.400 --> 0:16:36.880 that's what their goal is and their dream. But I've 0:16:36.920 --> 0:16:39.960 always been kind of more on the big business side 0:16:39.960 --> 0:16:43.040 as well. That's a part that I definitely feel proud 0:16:43.080 --> 0:16:44.960 of that, you know, I know how to run this 0:16:45.160 --> 0:16:49.000 culinary business, this hospitality thing. That makes me so happy. 0:16:49.000 --> 0:16:50.520 It makes me proud, It makes me so proud. As 0:16:50.520 --> 0:16:52.640 a fellow Latina. I just to be like, she's a woman, 0:16:53.080 --> 0:16:55.920 she's Latin, She's made it this far. You love what 0:16:56.000 --> 0:16:58.760 you do. And I'm sure there are many people or 0:16:58.800 --> 0:17:01.560 women that are listening to us out that also want 0:17:01.560 --> 0:17:03.640 to go to culinary school. Is it hard? It's culinary 0:17:03.640 --> 0:17:05.840 school hard, you know, I don't know how it is 0:17:05.880 --> 0:17:08.760 these days. I know when I went, it was tough. 0:17:08.800 --> 0:17:10.560 I mean I went to a two year program. It 0:17:10.640 --> 0:17:14.119 wasn't like a easy, breezy uh. You see the ads 0:17:14.160 --> 0:17:16.520 all over for different trades now where it's like get 0:17:16.520 --> 0:17:19.159 out in six months and make this starting salary, and 0:17:19.200 --> 0:17:21.440 I'm just like, WHOA. I had to like go through 0:17:21.480 --> 0:17:25.080 food history and nutrition and all the courses, and you know, 0:17:25.200 --> 0:17:28.640 it was a full on thing. But it's funny because 0:17:28.640 --> 0:17:31.920 it's now twice as expensive and you get less schooling 0:17:32.520 --> 0:17:34.960 but I think the most important piece of advice i'd 0:17:34.960 --> 0:17:37.320 give anyone going into culinary school just tune out all 0:17:37.359 --> 0:17:39.600 the I mean, now, it's tough. You got the Food Network, 0:17:39.640 --> 0:17:42.160 you got all these famous chefs. It's got to get 0:17:42.160 --> 0:17:44.879 you a little jaded on like not really wanting to 0:17:44.960 --> 0:17:46.879 put in the hard work right like I want to 0:17:46.920 --> 0:17:48.560 be I want to be that now. I want to 0:17:48.600 --> 0:17:50.879 get there now, And you just have to tune that 0:17:50.880 --> 0:17:53.280 stuff out because it's a process, even if you're a 0:17:53.400 --> 0:17:56.520 natural good cook, it's a process to get through this 0:17:56.600 --> 0:17:59.760 industry and you've gotta you gotta put in the time. Yeah, 0:17:59.760 --> 0:18:02.240 there you have it. Anyone that's listening that um wants 0:18:02.280 --> 0:18:05.480 to follow in chef arials footsteps, just be patient. I 0:18:05.520 --> 0:18:07.920 think it's just be patient and just know they're gonna 0:18:07.920 --> 0:18:09.720 be moments that you're gonna be like if this all 0:18:10.560 --> 0:18:13.160 but look, we all go through it and it's always 0:18:13.160 --> 0:18:15.760 just I always say, this guy's keep your eyes focused 0:18:15.760 --> 0:18:17.520 on the light at the end of the tunnel. So 0:18:17.880 --> 0:18:20.679 talking about we already talked about women. Are there a 0:18:20.720 --> 0:18:24.240 lot of Latin even men as chefs? Have you met 0:18:24.280 --> 0:18:27.479 more a lot more Latin chefs out there? Growing up 0:18:27.480 --> 0:18:30.440 in California, I think there was definitely a lot more 0:18:30.800 --> 0:18:34.720 Mexican chefs, not necessarily like at the top, but definitely 0:18:34.840 --> 0:18:37.760 working their way. Almost every Sux chef I ever worked 0:18:37.760 --> 0:18:40.280 with in California was Mexican. Most of the cooks for 0:18:40.400 --> 0:18:43.160 Mexican as well. I'm a little different on the East Coast. 0:18:43.160 --> 0:18:45.600 When I moved here. It's just a different Latin culture here, 0:18:45.640 --> 0:18:47.840 a lot of Puerto Rican trade off. You know. I 0:18:47.960 --> 0:18:50.400 left the West Coast and it was you know, Salvadoran 0:18:50.520 --> 0:18:52.720 and Mexicans in the kitchen, and then here it was 0:18:52.760 --> 0:18:55.880 a lot of mostly Puerto Ricans and and some Patians, 0:18:56.080 --> 0:18:58.920 and but I think, I don't know. In New York anyway, 0:18:59.000 --> 0:19:02.040 there's definitely a lot more Latin male chefs for sure, 0:19:02.160 --> 0:19:05.240 still not that many women, There's a few. I think 0:19:05.280 --> 0:19:07.960 the space has opened up in general, a lot more 0:19:08.400 --> 0:19:12.080 Mexican restaurants in New York. There's a lot more Puerto 0:19:12.160 --> 0:19:15.359 Rican restaurants. So I think now that these what I 0:19:15.359 --> 0:19:18.600 guess people would call niche restaurants, which is just funny 0:19:18.640 --> 0:19:21.359 to me because it's it's not a it's not a trend, 0:19:21.520 --> 0:19:25.480 it's just is there ethnics who it's been around a 0:19:25.520 --> 0:19:28.119 long time. Now that these restaurants are kind of popping 0:19:28.200 --> 0:19:30.520 up all over the place, I think there's definitely a 0:19:30.560 --> 0:19:32.760 lot more space for a lot and chefs, for sure. 0:19:33.160 --> 0:19:36.040 That's awesome. Do you feel like any pressure having to 0:19:36.200 --> 0:19:42.480 represent Latins are especially women? And then you know some 0:19:42.520 --> 0:19:44.879 people are also, you know, not very kind. You know 0:19:45.000 --> 0:19:46.919 that I'm not a hunt of percent. You know, I 0:19:47.080 --> 0:19:49.640