Behind every great chef is the inspiration to become involved in the culinary arts. I asked ten metro area chefs, “What was your earliest interest in cooking?” These noted talents became interested in food prep when they were young in the very kitchens where their families prepared meals. Think about that when you are whipping up a recipe with kids! You might just be influencing a future career.
Chef Yip Chi Ho of Saku Hoboken in Hoboken, NJ – “I grew up in Hong Kong, where food is such an important part of daily life and culture. As a child, I was fascinated watching family meals come together, especially how much care and attention went into even the simplest dishes. That early exposure sparked my curiosity, and by the time I moved to the U.S. nearly 30 years ago, I knew food would be my lifelong passion.”
Saku – Corner of 10th Street and Park Ave, Hoboken, NJ
Chef/Owner Paul Denamiel of Le Rivage on Restaurant Row – “I was a latch-key kid, and so had a lot of down time to spend in the kitchen experimenting with different meals. I enjoyed cooking for myself. But most of all, discovering that my Dad was excited to see what I had cooked when he got back from work. I loved to see how he enjoyed sharing the dishes I made. This is what sparked the idea of cooking for others.”
Le Rivage French Restaurant NYC
Chef Sungchul Shim of Gui Steakhouse in the Theater District – “I was born and raised in Kwangju, Korea, and from a young age, I was drawn to the flavors and rituals of Korean food. I have fond memories of helping my mother in the kitchen—watching her prepare traditional dishes taught me the value of precision and heart in cooking. Those early experiences laid the foundation for my career as a chef.”
Gui Steakhouse | Wood-Fired Steaks & Fine Dining Near Times Square | Gui Steakhouse
Chef Joey Sergentakis of Allendale Social in Allendale, NJ – “As a young child, I was inspired watching my grandmother cook in the kitchen. She cooked with lots of passion. I didn’t know then that I would become a chef, but I knew I wanted to learn to cook like her.”
Allendale Social – Allendale, NJ
Chef Samuel-Drake Jones of Hudson Local on the West Side – “I grew up in France with a French mother, so food was always a big part of my life. One of my first memories is walking with my mom in our French village to get bread in the morning. My mom would make breakfast and dinner every day, but she passed away from cancer when I was a teenager. I never really cooked with my mom but was the recipient of that hospitality.”
Hudson Local | Experience Neighborhood Elegance — Reserve Now
Chef Salvo Lo Castro of Casasalvo in SoHo – “Growing up in Catania, my afternoons were always spent with my grandparents, each side of the family offering a different flavor of tradition. My paternal grandfather, Grandpa Nino, cultivated hazelnuts, while my maternal grandparents ran a rotisserie in Malvagna. At school, I’d watch the clock, wanting to escape into their world of food. The kitchen quickly became my favorite place in the world. By the age of 12, I left home to start working at Gatto Blu in Linguaglossa, and from that moment on, I never looked back.”
CASASALVO NYC | Italian Restaurants, Cafés & Private Dining Experiences
Chef Steven Cho of Bagizza on Madison Avenue – “My interest in cooking started in high school while watching Chef Emeril Lagasse on the Food Network. The way he was able to make the audience excited and happy really spoke to me. My mother was also very influential as she really showed me what hospitality was all about.”
Chef Jorge Dionicio of Kansha on the Upper East Side – “I grew up in Lima, Peru, eating ceviche almost every day and helping my mom in the kitchen. By age 12, I was cooking on my own—making plenty of mistakes, but my family still ate it, even if it wasn’t perfect. Those moments, full of flavor and laughter, are some of my best memories and the start of my lifelong love for cooking.”
Kansha: Nikkei Style Cuisine | KANSHA
Jack Logue of The Lambs Club in the Theater District – “My interest in cooking started at a very young age. I was lucky to have grandmothers on both sides who were phenomenal cooks—one specialized in traditional Italian recipes (her meatballs are still famous in our family), and the other, from Kentucky, made incredible Southern dishes like country ham, fried chicken, mac and cheese, and an endless rotation of pies.”
Lambs Club | American Restaurant in New York, NY
Courtney Reed of NICO Kitchen & Bar at NJPAC in Newark, NJ – “My interest started at a very young age of three. My mom used to tell me a story of how she found me eating butter. She was on the phone with my grandma, and when she got off the phone, I opened the refrigerator and was found munching on butter.”
Top photo: Bigstock
