Chef  Yadiyah Letellier

Bake It Up With: Yadiyah Letellier

Chef In The Making

His name is Yadiyah and several weeks ago I came across photos of his work that were posted on Facebook friend Carla Hall D'Ambra's wall and I was very moved and inspired. Yadiyah is seventeen years old and his life's passion is to become a chef, he is one of 13 kids and is defying the odds. We are honored here at Chattin In Manhattan to interview him as one of our featured chefs. His dream is to attend Monroe College for Culinary Arts and is working on raising funds through grants and loans to attend. He recently won a contest for his Deep Dish Apple Tart dessert. For those who know him, they will tell you that Yadiyah in an inspiration and someone to model their life after.

What inspired you to become a chef?

I always enjoyed cooking and watching my mom cook, and watching the food network but I really didn't look at becoming a chef because I was focused on basketball till my sophomore year in high school.  I then started thinking about my future and I started to taking a cooking class at my local Glen Cove Boys & Girls Club.  I started to really get into cooking and my chef instructor was amazed with my skills. I decided that I wanted to become a chef and I believed that I could really make it as a successful young chef.  I got into the culinary arts skills program at Barry Tech in Westbury, NY, and got a job at North Shore Country Club that summer of 2010 where I started to build on my skills in the kitchen. As I finished up with my 1st year of culinary arts skills program, I started to get job offerings but I decided to play basketball for the summer of 2011. So it got closer to the end of the summer and I got an offer from Glen Head Country Club. I got very excited to get back in the kitchen. Once I met the head chef Clifford Goodman I was set, and he was great guy.

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Cake Boss Buddy

http://carlosbakery.com/

Bake It Up With: Buddy Valastro

The Cake Boss

He is the boss of bakery  and  the star of the hit show on TLC, Cake Boss! And we had the chance to get this exclusive interview with the man known as Buddy! If you ever wondered why bakers are the BEST, this article is for you! Join us as we introduce The Cake Boss to CIM. He is not only a rock star he is THE BOSS!

What inspired you to become a chef?

I practically grew up at Carlo’s bakery, watching my dad making pastries for the store and decorating cakes. So many of my childhood memories took place in the kitchen. I think my career was a natural fit.

What was the biggest struggle making it in this business?

One of the hardest parts is the hard work and long hours, especially around the holidays. Luckily I’ve got the whole famiglia here to pitch in.

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Chef Mark Garcia

http://chefmarkgarcia.com/

Cook It Up: Chef Mark Garcia

What inspired you to become a chef?

I am half-french and half-spanish so I grew up in a household that prepared GREAT food and celebrated its traditions. I saw firsthand from a young age the soul-satisfying impact that food has on us as human beings

What was the biggest struggle making it to the big leagues?

Ha! Realizing very quickly that overnight success routinely takes 10-15 years of hard work and sacrifice to come to fruition.

Who is your chef hero?

I have several...from my mother and grandmother to the first generation of Rock Star Chefs, Escoffier, Bocuse, Pointe, and of course Julia

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