Meet Culinary & Pastry Chef: Izzy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Izzy.

Izzy, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My story started as a lil boy growing up in Tri-State area (New York/Ct./New Jersey) of Elm City/New Haven Connecticut.

Along with being born into a family who luv’d food and luv’d to cook, I was also born in a city that was circled around food, Elm City (New Haven Connecticut).

New Haven (called Elm City bcuz of the numerous amount of Elm Trees) was what I’ve called a smorgasbord. Reason being is bcuz their were staples of food in every neighborhood that you stepped into. Not fast food, Noooo, but those small mom and pop eateries that lit the neighborhoods with the scents of different foods that came from different nationalities. Ranging from Greek, Italian, Greek, Indian, Jewish, Jamaican and my Favorite, Soulfood.

I remember in the early, dark & cold winter Connecticut mornings how, my moms would have me bundled up in my snow suit, ski mask, gloves and boots holding my hand walking me to school, and as we walked through the neighborhoods, the different aromas that were mixed in with the brisk freezing morning air that came off of the Long Island Sound and Quinnipiac River into the streets of New Haven that would hit my nose. The brisk air carried the mouth-watering aromas of the mom & pops diners that filled the airs with scrambled eggs and bacon and the smell of yeast in the from the bakeries getting the dough together for the buttered poppy seed rolls and croissants they were getting ready to fill with scrambled eggs for their early morning workers, and us kids who came in for a quick breakfast sandwich to accompany with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate to warm our stomachs as we walked to school through the waist high snow we were so familiar with having to stomp through on our daily voyage to school or work.

Then there was DAD. OOOOOh dad and how he would make one of his Famous Combo Subs or sandwiches or even his Chopped BBQ or Ribs that only he could make with that special touch! His cooking was Sooooooo GOOD, that we opened up our own family restaurant that he called PORKY’S!

And after years of being under his tutelage, this is where my dad gave me my 1st experience at cooking for and running a restaurant.
Every morning my parents would go to their jobs (mom worked at YALE and dad for METRO NORTH, the Tri-State Area Train System) and as a young adult of 19, 20-ish, I had to get down to our restaurant and get things poppin for the lunch hour jump off.

It’s so funny how I look back on it, and how instead of me being scared from this being something that I was new at or had no experience at, everyday I was excited, excited to open the doors and get the stoves and grill lit to start cooking. And it was all on my shoulders, from setting up the monies to making the Chopped BBQ, Ribs, Potato Salad, cooking and prepping and getting everything ready to serve our customers. It was a serious learning experience that I gained unknowingly.

It’s so funny and makes me laugh because when I think back on that time, at that age, all I was thinking about was hanging out and partying. There was nowhere in my mind, that I was getting the experience that was going to be a part of my future endeavors, shoot my mind was set on being a recording artist. Being that before I knew how to cook, walk or talk, singing was my 1st luv.

Well anyhow, the years passed on by and though I would cook for family and friends I still did not have it in my mind that cooking could be a career.

Since my dreams of being a recording artist had no direction I decided to go into the military and during boot camp, I found myself, where? Once again, In the kitchen! It was part of my boot camp training, hustling and busting my butt over those hot stoves and steaming pots of food and dishes along with learning how to fight in physical combat and to expertly handle weapons that I never thought I would come in contact with during my lifetime such as M-9 Pistols, Machetes, M16, Grenades, bombs & missiles and many more, but it was all a learning experience. I just never thought that I would have such an experience as such but, I am grateful for it because I was exposed to a whole other life that I would of never had if I had not left my normal city surroundings of the tri-state area in New Haven, Ct.

During those boot camp months of training, though I had found myself back in the kitchen I still had no thoughts of making food (which unknowingly was my passion) a career so out of making it through boot camp, I enrolled in school to become a nurse.

Being that my mother worked in the medical field since before I was born, and therefore constantly finding myself in the environment of the host of doctors, nurses and all sorts of medical staffing, it too also became an influence as to the steps that I made along my way. So with that influence that was given to me I naturally enrolled myself into Nursing School and became a Hospital Corpsman, it was then that I became a military nurse.

After graduation from nursing school, I was then sent back to the North where I was stationed at the Newport Naval Station in Newport Rhode Island. There I was working 1st, 2nd and 3rd shifts as a nurse on the hospital wards administering medications to patients to assisting doctors during surgeries and doing that which a nurse does, it was an experience to not forget but it was definitely not my glass of Kosher Wine, I tell ya that.

Shipped to Camp Lejune North Carolina I was now moved from the U.S. Navy to the U.S Marine Corps and as my time now ventured into new surroundings. Being that I was with the Marines once again, I found myself in the kitchen cooking, but this time I was hosting dinner parties at my off-base military apartment in Camp Lejune, North Carolina for my military buddies who had no access to home cooked meals (being that we were all away from home and in the middle of the country where we had no access to any family who could give us down home meals, or any restaurants that did us any justice), I could only think about giving my military family some good food which I did and they Luv’d every bit of it for all I would get in return were compliments after compliment or the question, “When are you gonna invite us over for some more of that food”. Right now I think to myself that at that time, I would think that these moments would have been an eye opener, but still, even then, I didn’t recognize, for all I was only thinking to myself was, “I’m glad that they enjoyed it”.

Now with me being placed within the Marines things started to take a turn, I was deployed to Okinawa Japan where I got to experience what real Oriental food tasted like. I can remember how floored I was when I 1st tasted their rice and real Beef Lo Mein. I just could not believe the difference in the taste compared to here in the states. The rice was light and fluffy and everything that I had tasted here in the United States as far as Oriental food was concerned could not compare to actually being there and having it made within the country itself.

Rice over there is such a staple that as you drive down their streets, that directly placed in the middle of the streets they had restaurants that specialized in rice.

Now I know that this may be unimaginable but yes the restaurant would be right dead smack in the middle of the street that consisted of busy traffic passing back and forth on each side. I remember how I use to think how dangerous it was having to run across the street amongst all that traffic just to get to the restaurant to get some rice, but I would take my chances just to get me a bowl, I’m thankful I never got hit by a car.

From there next stop Saudi Arabia. And even having to go into Desert Storm and spending my time over in the very middle of the deserts with the ground shaking at a constant from bombs going off around me and missiles flying over my head in pitch black oil filled skys that rained black rain in Kuwait and Saudi Arabian deserts didn’t stop me for in the middle of the desert I would take my M.R.E’s (military abbreviation for MEALS READY TO EAT) and make them into my own delicacies over an open fire, using my lil packs of salt, pepper and hot sauce along with combing different M.R.E’s to make a meal more than what it was, shoot the desert wasn’t going to stop me from eating at least an ALMOST GOOD meal.

Finally, I was deployed back to the states. And as soon as my duties were up to having served in the USN/USMC, I was honorably discharged and Praise Yah that I got my butt back home on solid ground where I started to work at the V.A. and Yale-New Haven Hospital.

After being discharged during those years I of working in the hospital I managed to host dinner parties at my apartment and to also cook for friends and family at different events such as holidays or just church and social gatherings, which it was then that from the feedback’s that I would receive, I begin to take a notice of how people were enjoying my food. I would cook at family gatherings or maybe a function and it was always a couple of people who would speak out aloud positively about my dish or would ask, who it was that made this dish.

Now after all the years had passed it was during this period that I knew I had a talent for bringing joy to people through my cooking.

One day my dad spoke to me and said to me since you can cook you should go to school to be a chef, but in my head all I heard him saying was I should go to school to be a butler. Hey, I didn’t know any better, you see back then there was no such thing as Food Network, cooking was not popular at all at that time and I had no knowledge of what being a true chef was or consist of, and the only one that anyone really knew of that had anything to do with food really, was Julia Childs so I had no idea what it would have led to or where I could have been today if I would have only done so and taken on culinary schooling back then.

Well years passed and here I was in my 40’s moving from the North and now living in Atlanta Georgia, (where my family soon followed) telling my family, I’m getting out of the medical field and I’m going to school to become a chef, and my dad made me laugh when he came out of his mouth and said to me, “Oh Nowwwwww you wanna go to school to be a chef, after I told you that many years ago.” I laughed because that was in my early 20’s and I had long forgotten that he had spoken to me about doing so, and I regretted that I didn’t.

I was in my 40’s, and within all of my life, I had not yet done what I wanted to do, what my soul yearned to do. But what I had managed to have done was to do what was programmed into the majority of us, which was what is supposedly correct to do in order to be an upstanding citizen. But that left me feeling incomplete.
My thoughts were, “here I am working for someone else, making someone else rich, working to feed the belly of those who I am working for instead of making it visible for my own family. If they can do it, so can I!

With the thought in my mind that it was now or never for me to do what it was that I was meant to do, to do what it was that I luv’d and have a passion for, that it was then, that I turned in my 2 weeks resignation to Lab Corp who I had been working for, supervising laboratories in various doctors offices around the Atlanta Metro area, for a period of 5 to 6 years.

I can’t lie, it was a big step cause I had kids to feed and to take care of. I was scared, Yes, but with my faith in YAH and the help and LUV of my parents and the determination that my Dad and Mom’s installed within me of working hard and that YOU CAN DO IT mentality, I stepped out and now I am making that move.

I Graduated from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Art August 2012 and immediately went into their degree program and graduated in November 2013 with a Degree in Associate of Occupational Science in Culinary Arts.

Every since graduating I have started a Culinary & Baking Kosher business, IzzysCuisines & IzzyCakesBakes. During this step within this journey, I have learned and continue to learn a lot as my business continue to grow. It hasn’t been an easy voyage, but I continue to ride the wave into culinary entrepreneurship learning, growing, meeting and working with all sorts of wonderful people and developing as I go along.

Within my flight what I learned that I can tell people is, DO YOU! Develop your gift and carve and mold your gift til it becomes perfected in your eyes. Know that you are going to make mistakes. Take what mistakes you have been blessed with and  learn from them for they are an important aspect in the development of your business.
When it comes to the talent, to the gift that you were given, use it to the best of your ability to bring it forth from out of your mind into reality.
Find people who is successful in what you are doing. Learn about them and find out the mistakes that they came across so that you can learn from what they have learned, which in return will give you a jump start by helping you to avoid the same mistakes and if you still run into those mistakes you will save time getting out of them because you had already learned from them that had already gone through it.

Also, Everyone has something to offer positive to this world. Never let anyone’s personal thoughts as to what they could or can not do direct your vision as to where you want your gift to develop into.

There are so many negative people out here with negative outlooks on life that you can not help but to run into them, even the nicest person can be the most negative one! In order to overcome those reality killers, and to branch out and blossom, you must recognize those negative ones that are in the midst of your life and clear them out of your dimension!

And when you fall, look around, gather your Then get up, dust yourself off and KEEP ON MOVIN, DON’T STOP! For on the other side of No, there is a YES!

Has it been a smooth road?
No it has not been smooth and the struggle still continues, but it is a joyful fight. Everyday I continue to work to get my name out there even further. The hard thing is to get yourself known to others, to get your food known to a larger audience, whether it be from them gaining access to them on Social Media such as Instagram and Facebook.

It is also difficult working by myself. It’s been a ONE MAN SHOW over here trying to do it all alone. I mean I have my son and mother but the idea is you. The idea comes into your head and no one else, then it is you that have to put your vision into reality and though you have family that may be along your side no one else can bring it into development as yourself and that is difficult, especially if it is an avenue that you have never taken or learned and it then becomes a fight against yourself to keep pushing yourself to believe in yourself and that it can be done. TO KEEP ON MOVING DON’T STOP!

What’s the hardest part of your job?
The hardest part is marketing your business so well that it becomes a staple on people’s tongue.

Yes marketing consist of more than just giving someone your business card; for you’re having to run that business which consists of maintaining your website, creating recipes, testing recipes then taking pics of your food and publish them on social media, getting your name out there locally so that someone can enjoy the luv that you have created just for them.

It’s a lot when you have to do it all by yourself, especially when you don’t have anyone to motivate you, to remind you to keep the faith. You have to do it all by yourself with no one behind you saying ” You Can Do It”.

So you then, become your own personal motivator, which is what I’ve been capable of doing for myself, but it would be nice to have that extra push, that extra motivation booster.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success is when you’re able to provide for your family with the gifts of talent that you have been given blessed to have by the Most High Yah!
Therefore I continue to press on!

What are your plans for the future?
My plans for the future? My plans are GROWTH! To continue to learn so that I can have growth/expansion spiritually, intellectually and business wise, that I can pass on what it is that I have learned onto my son, that he may use what it is that he has learned from me as a life guide, as life tools, for his growth and expansion spiritually, intellectually and business wise as well. That is my main goal, to give to him positive nourishment so that he too can GROW!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.IzzysCuisines.com
• Email: Izzyscuisines@aol.com
• Instagram: IzzysCuisines
• Facebook: IzzysCuisines

Image Credit:
ALL Images were taken by me Melchizedec Yisrael (Chef I