Hello World
HELLOOOOOO WORLD!!!
Welcome to my blog. Well i guess for starters an intro is in order. So here goes….. My name is Shaquay and I am from NYC. A true native being born in Brooklyn, raised in Queens and now reside in Harlem. Since the age of about 5 i always knew that I was going to be a chef. I always was in the kitchen watching my mother and grandmother make family meals. As a young child I was also heavily influenced by my older brother Darius (2 time CHOPPED champion 🙂 who is also a chef and has been since I was about 6 years old. Since I already knew what I wanted to do as a career, picking a college was easy for me. I knew that I had wanted to go away, live on a campus, study culinary arts and have my peers be around my age. So the obvious choice was Johnson And Wales University. I went to the Providence, Rhode Island campus where I got my AS in Culinary Arts and my BS in Culinary Nutrition. After JWU, I worked in many kitchens in different places in Anguilla, Colorado, New Jersey and New York.
Back on the subject of my brother, people constantly asked me ” are you a chef because of your brother” which I get why people would ask because of the coincidence that my mothers two children are both chefs. However that comment is also irritating to me because if people knew how much went into being a chef, they wouldn’t say such a thing as me doing it just because of my brother. Its not all glamorous… sure you make meals, are able to be creative, work with different ingredients which is all fun. However this profession is not for the weak….. it will break you down. Being a chef is also EXTREMELY physical, on your feet 12+ hours a day, lifting and carrying pounds, running around a HOT kitchen (i have worked in kitchens over 100 degrees) and the injuries. I have cut myself numerous times and have countless burns on my arms and hands due to my job. Slicing the tip of my finger off with a mandolin, steam burns to the hand, burning my forearm with an oven door and burning grease splattering on my face and hand are just a few injuries that i have gotten over the years. So as you can see, if it wasn’t for the love of what I do, there would be no way I would do it.
So I know you are wondering…….. why are you doing a blog? Well i have always had an interest in food writing, being a food critic, food photography and food styling. I love going to restaurants and being a critic, taking pictures of a cool plate and eating something interesting and unique. I have more pictures of food on my camera than actual people. So, this blog will be a mainly a restaurant review- only my opinions so hopefully people wont take offense. Every now and then I will post a recipe that needs to be shared and little anecdotes of my professional life, travels and how it relates to the topic. I want to do something unpretentious, educational and fun. A great read and view points from a person that is a chef but doesn’t take herself too seriously. Because in the end….. its just food 🙂
I can’t wait for your updates. Great job Shaquay
SURERB!!! Marvelous. Well done. My goodness…, seems like just yesterday you, we…, well, you know. And now look at cha!!! All grown and…, well I must say…, I like your grown-up style. Good girl.
I’ll be keeping an eye on you and….., I’m so proud of you.
Uncle Basil