Tangy.
Decadent.
Savory.
Sweet.
Mouth-watering.
Are you hungry yet? Celebrity Chef Cordell’s palatable cuisines are all of the above and then some. Cooking has been his passion for many years. He keenly recalls the countless times he had to cook for his siblings because his mom worked a lot and was often too exhausted to cook. “I stepped up to the plate to cook and care for them when there were ill by making soup and other dishes to help them get better,” Chef Cordell explained. He enjoyed feeding his siblings and watching their positive reactions while eating his food. Cooking was fundamental at the ripe age of seven. He learned how to prepare meals for his picky siblings. When asked about what he liked as a kid, Chef Cordell said that his love for lasagna made him learn at an early age how to distinguish if the hearty dish was thrown together or meticulously structured with ribbons of layered pasta and robust tomato sauce.
Chef Cordell gives most of the credit for his love of cooking to his aunts and family members who prepared delicious meals in the kitchen. As a seven-year-old, he often wondered if they knew why he liked to hang around in the kitchen or the room next to it instead of playing outside with his siblings and younger family members. “I wasn’t nosey or trying to be in grown folks’ business, but I was mostly curious as to how they made the food taste so good,” Chef Cordell shared. He remembers explaining to his mother the depth of flavors to the steak that his great aunt fixed one day. After indulging in the well-seasoned and flavorful beef, Chef Cordell realized that his penchant for food was incredibly advanced, and therefore watching his aunts and cooking his cooking more for his siblings would continue to foster his love for cooking for years to come.
Serving in the United States Navy also played a big part in Chef Cordell becoming a chef. While on the island of Diego Garcia, Chef Cordell recalled having a one-eyed burner, an electric cooking pot, and a tiny floor grill. Although he was limited to the types of food he could experience on base, he admitted that his time spent in the military exposed him to delicious Asian cuisines when prepared correctly. He learned how to re-create certain meals just by taste alone. From Pancit (Filipino-style noodle stir fry), lumpia, and adobo chicken, to various cuts of steak, he knew he was at the right place at the right time.
While in Spain, things drastically changed and he longed to be with his friends in Colorado, but Chef Cordell later realized that living in Europe was the best thing that ever happened to him. He was able to expand his palate and add more authentic Spanish cuisines to his repertoire. “The way it was perfectly balanced inspired me to remake and reimagine so many amazing dishes.” Chef Cordell recounted his time dining at the tiny eateries along the ocean, inspiring his love for tapas. He expressed that traveling or eating his way through Spain had a significant impact on the experiences that changed his life beyond anything else because it was a way to immerse in the culture and sharpen his life and culinary skills quickly.
Chef Cordell wants anyone who has a passion for cooking and preparing foods to never give up and encourages people to realize and understand that there will be many obstacles, but they only come to make you better. It is also important to never allow anyone in the culinary world to intimidate you; however, take that opportunity to encounter great chefs to help expand your tastes, and try to travel as much as you can, and learn about spices and cuisines from around the world. Last but not least, Chef Cordell recommends that everyone become a sponge and learn as much as they can and be open and receptive when it comes to trying new things.
Chef Cordell and all of his tasteful cuisines can be found on Instagram @cordelltheculinarydiva!
