Here’s a quick fun fact about me: I’m a huge Top Chef fan. It’s the reason why I I cook.
Restaurant Wars is usually a Top Chef tradition where two restaurant concepts compete, who was better in a concept and overall execution of service? Â
There have been a couple of twists in the past seasons such as doing two services in the same day but today might be the challenge that speaks to me the most.Â
The pitch is selling your idea to an investor. What the chefs had to do in this episode was to pitch their idea to the judges and present a couple of dishes that represent those ideas.
That challenge spoke to me, because putting myself out to the world is hard as it is, but to put what you are passionate about on the line, it’s pretty much putting all the chips in the table saying “this is me, and I fully believe in myself enough to present to you an idea that I truly believe in.”
While there is a lot of emotion attached to it, business is usually the first priority and to be a good chef not only means that you have to be a good cook, but have some sense of how business works - check averages, clientele, styles of service, just to name a few.
Going back to my point, I would not be personal cheffing or meal prepping for people today had I not made my pitch. Mine was a little more unorthodox as I had some help along the way.
Keoni (who was one of the former trainers at City Limits) found out that I cooked for a living through his questions of the day, as his way of getting to know people. When I joined his body transformation challenge, we started off a couple of food events here and there at Adam’s house - breaking down chicken, cooking eggs, making salsa... accessible recipes for the home cook who are trying to live healthier lifestyles.
Weeks go by, and after a workout Adam asks me if I would like to cook for him. Anybody would jump at the chance, but I was hesitant at first. I knew how to cook, but I didn’t know how to cook “healthy”. At the same time, Kyle, the head coach, approached me to do the same for him. At that point... if someone literally gave me the opportunity on a silver platter, I had to take it and do some research.
In my mind, EverSoul was going to be this below 20 seat countertop restaurant somewhere in the middle of downtown Los Angeles. I would have had a resume where I worked in top Michelin restaurants (Le Bernardin, Volt, Momofuku - some of my dream places to have had worked in at the time) to back that resume up. But, here we are.
It’s ironic because the concept of EverSoul comes from making people better with food. Food as medicine, a functional tool that makes them function better as athletes or people who want to have good food even with dietary restrictions. Â
But the dream that I had was to feed people with something lavish, things that I can’t even understand the technique behind because I never worked in those back then revered (back then, at least) restaurants.
And now, I’m in the game. Â
If I were to reopen this as a restaurant, which I might at some point even as a food truck... my pitch would be this -
Because that’s what it is. Healthier versions of foods that are considered a cheat meal.  Anything can be made healthier. A meatloaf? A hamburger? Pasta? Â
Yep. Everything can be healthier and just as good because if there’s a will, there’s always a way.
8/365 - Here’s a picture of the very first dish I cooked for Adam... Meatloaf.