I’m a Brooklyn native, and the executive chef and owner of Essie’s Restaurant in Poughkeepsie, NY. In reflecting on my childhood, I realized that food has been a part of my life since I was able to walk. I fondly recall times when I was in the kitchen with my mom, Mary, who represents the Southerners in my family, grating carrots for carrot cake, mixing cake batter, and frying chicken. She fried chicken in a particular pan that I can still remember. I thought the reason why fried chicken tastes so good was because she used this pan every time. Even when she stirred the mac and cheese that she was preparing for dinner, her attention to detail and the passion that she had when she cooked the family dinner didn’t go unnoticed. It was then I knew that I loved cooking.
