The Kid Who Loves Food

When I was a young boy, I was the kind of kid that was always around food.

I was the kid who preferred to watch what was being cooked at a family cookout instead of playing with the other kids. I was the kid who watched the Food Network when we only had ten channels using a satellite antenna. I was the kid who looked at what people were eating around the table at a restaurant, and when a dish caught my eye, I made it known that I was going to "get that next time." I was the kid who made their first dish, used ground beef and onions (with little flavor and salt), and felt it was the absolute "perfect" meal anyone had ever made. 

I didn't just like eating food; I always wanted to be around it. I thought how magical it was when my grandpa grew different kinds of chili peppers in our backyard or whenever he brought some of the best cheese from a mysterious farmland in Mexico. I wanted to know more about it! Where it all came from, how to cook with it, and what I can create, I wanted to dive in!

Makeshift Meals

From a young age, you would find me creating all kinds of different meals and combining food items together. 

If I had scrambled eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, and toast on my plate, I would create a breakfast sandwich. If I had waffles or pancakes, I would make a sandwich. If I had a bowl of rice with beans, chicken, and veggies, I would mix it all together to have the perfect bite each time and taste all the flavors. If I had a quesadilla with some chicken and salsa, I would make a cheesy burrito. I just saw it as something to enjoy together.

But when it came to makeshift cooking, no one was better than my mom.

I once saw her create an incredible stir-fry dish using broccoli, flank steak, and Maruchan Ramen packets. It was absolutely mindblowing to me! This was the first I had seen or heard of such an innovation. It never stopped there, though — everything my mom made was through instinct.

No matter what we had, she always found a way to make delicious meals. Even my dad did everything he could to make sure we ate.

Making his go-to lemon pepper chicken and potatoes and breakfast soup, getting creative using Hamburger Helper, and presenting a breakfast feast on the weekends for the whole family.

So I took the mindset my parents had to heart. From middle school to high school, from college to young adult, to where I am now as a young married man, I learned that I would make something delicious no matter what I have in the pantry or refrigerator.

Embracing My Culture

When I moved from San Diego to Kansas City, it was a huge culture shock for me. Some healthy changes helped shape me and provided healing for me for the time I needed it, but I noticed that there were not as many people that looked like me here. And the Mexican food that was here, they watered down to a different kind of palate, or it was bastardized to follow some new food trend.

When I moved to Kansas City, it was clear that my upbringing and early experiences influenced my cooking style. So whenever I had an opportunity to cook a dish for a potluck or host some friends, I made the things I grew up with. I cooked Enchiladas, Pozole, Ceviche, Paella, Chilaquiles, fresh salsa, you name it! I had no recipe, no cookbook, just my memories and tips from my mom. The nostalgia of the smell, the look, and the taste was my recipe and cookbook.

I embraced all of who I was and put it into the food I made. This also included other cuisines I cooked. If I cooked South Indian cuisine, I embraced the culture. If I cooked a Korean dish, I embraced the culture. I learned that the best way to make delicious food was to embrace the culture of the cuisine that I was cooking. I began to understand the beauty in my culture and in many others by diving into the rich history and traditions of the food that is made within them.

My Culinary Journey

As I was finishing the last semester of my undergrad in sports psychology (after years of figuring out what I wanted to do), I realized I wanted to go after a food career. How the heck was I going to do that? I was stuck because I had no professional food experience, culinary certifications, or degrees to show for it. But I know that food is my passion. So I went for it!

I'm currently working as a cooking instructor at a restaurant, a personal chef meal planner, a private event caterer, and a food blogger. So here we are now!

So I guess the question isn't really who the Makeshift Chef is, but more "what" it is. It's not just a persona I created but a way of life. The Makeshift Chef is someone who makes something beautiful with what they have. Where food is what brings people together from all walks of life. It's when you understand someone's cultural background and upbringing by sharing a simple meal. We embrace and appreciate what we have and see that we have plenty. That's what the Makeshift Chef is.

So come join me! Through this platform, I want to share some insight into not just my own food experiences but people's experiences throughout the country and the world. I hope my story inspires others to pursue their passions, no matter where they may lead them.

This is The Makeshift Chef!