February 14, 2024 • 38 mins
Embark on a journey through the flavors, struggles, and triumphs of a culinary mastermind as I, Amelia Old, sit down with the pioneering Chef Daryl Shular. Chef Shular pulls back the curtain on his rise from a childhood filled with the warmth of his mother's kitchen to making history as the first African American certified master chef. The aroma of resilience and diversity is rich in this episode, as we trace his steps and discover how he's not only carving out a space for himself but also setting the table for future chefs through his work with Hospitality Forward and 100 Chefs of Tomorrow.
We're reminded that cooking is much more than just a craft; it's a bridge to cultural understanding and a bond that unites communities. Taste the competitive spirit that drove him to the prestigious Culinary Olympics, where the pursuit of gastronomic perfection is a relentless quest. And yet, amid the high stakes of international acclaim, he maintains a focus on mentorship, illustrating the vital role that diverse perspectives and guidance play in shaping the artisans of the kitchen.
In our final course of conversation, Chef Shular serves up his philosophy on the harmony of traditional and innovative cuisine, adhering to an 80-20 rule that guides his every creation. Chef Shular's legacy transcends his culinary achievements, seeding a future where the kitchen doors are open to all and nourishment comes not just from the food we eat but the support we offer each other. Join us at the table for an episode that's as heartfelt as it is enlightening, seasoned with the insights of a chef who truly leads with generosity.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Voices of Inspiration.
Today, I'm honored to have ChefDarrell Schueller with us, a
culinary trailblazer and thevisionary behind the Schueller
Institute.
As an award-winning certifiedmaster chef, his impact on the
culinary world is profound.
In our conversation, he shareshis journey from his early days
in the industry to the foundingof the Schueller Institute.
(00:20):
Through initiatives likeHospitality Forward and 100
Chefs of Tomorrow, ChefSchueller is ensuring that
aspiring chefs have access toquality education.
Chef Schueller's philosophyblends tradition with innovation
, emphasizing the importance ofclassic techniques alongside new
flavors.
Join us as we explore his story, filled with resilience,
(00:41):
diversity and a globalperspective.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Everyone has a story to tell.
We connect and relate to oneanother when we share our
stories.
My name is Amelia Ove and I amyour host of Voices of
Inspiration.
Join me as I share stories offriends, family and strangers,
for my everyday life and travels.
You will laugh, possibly cry orwalk away, feeling connected
more than ever to those aroundyou and ready to be the change
(01:08):
our world needs.
Everyone has a story to tell.
What's yours?
Speaker 1 (01:22):
Thank you so much for joining me today.
I know you have a really busyschedule and I appreciate you
just taking time to meet with meand to share your story.
All that you are doing in theculinary world in the Atlanta
area and beyond is reallyamazing and I really want to
just start from the beginning.
What initially sparked yourpassion for culinary arts?
Speaker 3 (01:47):
Well, first, thank you for this opportunity and
platform.
It's truly an honor.
Well, I have to say that itreally began at home.
The love of food really beganwith watching my mother how she
would cook and she was anabsolutely amazing cook I would
call her a chef and she wasactually professionally trained.
Just how she just took thingsthat she knew and things that
(02:09):
was affordable to her and makingit absolutely, just incredible.
And she had a heart of giving.
So I think that's where thelove of giving to others come
from.
I just saw how she would workin the citrus industry and it
was a seasonal job and she wouldtake what little she had and go
buy and cook on the weekendsand she'll feed pretty much
(02:30):
everyone on the street, takingpackages of food to all the
neighbors, and we would packfood and put it in the backseat
of the car and drive to churchon Sunday.
So that's really where thepassion began for me.
But the idea of turning thatinto a profession didn't start
until I came to Atlanta back in1992.
And I saw a commercial for alocal culinary school and it was
(02:54):
something about that experienceof watching that chef come out
of the kitchen and in thecommercial, everyone stood up
and started clapping for him.
And then I was like that's whatI want to do and actually
called the school and enrolled.
And at that time culinaryschools were just few, far in
between, so I didn't haveanything to compare to.
(03:15):
But I went through, graduatedfrom that program and actually
started to teach at that sameprogram 10 years later.
So that's where everythingbegan and that's what it led
into my actual professionalcareer.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
What was your favorite thing that your mom
cooked?
Speaker 3 (03:30):
Oh, my God, so many memories.
That's a good question.
I always say you know she wouldmake great one pot stews and me
and my brother always ask oneof you making ox tells.
And you know we didn't know oxtail was a cultural thing, you
know, but it was something thatwe just love the first and show
make it with some rice and thatrich broth and her greens.
(03:52):
And you know southern food waspart of our tradition, what we
ate.
But she was a great baker aswell.
She would make absolutelyincredible like coconut cake or
different pies, or she made thisfamous pecan candy that she's
really known for.
There's a lot of things I cansay that bring back good
memories of her.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
You are the first African American certified
master chef.
What does this accomplishmentmean to you personally and how
has it influenced your approachto mentorship?
Speaker 3 (04:25):
Well, being the first African American to obtain the
title of certified master chef,that's for me, was just a goal
that I had for myself.
It wasn't that, you know, I was, you know, a champion trying to
be the first.
It was just, I just wanted tobe a master chef and I knew that
there was a lot of chefs outthere and the word master just
(04:47):
thrown out quite a bit and itdoesn't say that people haven't
mastered the art of cooking.
But then it's debatable Right,are you really a master to craft
?
So when I found out that therewas an actual certified master
chef exam a level, the highestlevel that you can get as a
person, of chef, individual chefI said that's what I wanted to
do and I learned that right outof high school.
(05:09):
And so pursuing those goals youknow, being on the Olympic team
as a platform to become a masterchef, and then taking that 130
hour cooking exam over eightdays and pass it in the
California, that whole entireprocess really shaped the second
phase of my career.
But to your question, what itdoes for the youth and people
(05:31):
around me is that we obtainthose things so that we can give
it to others.
And if you look at my career,there was always influences from
other people like inspirations,and then there was always a
flood of people that come behindme that I gave to, and so I
just love the idea of justobtaining knowledge and
obtaining skills to give toothers.
(05:52):
And it's not really about meeven though I get a lot of
recognition and a lot of praiseit's really about me obtaining
as much as I possibly can so Ican help as many people as I
possibly can.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
I really love that.
That's really great.
Can you talk a little bit abouthospitality Ford?
Speaker 3 (06:11):
So Hospitality 4 is the Schueger Institute's 5013C
nonprofit arm.
It is designed to really goafter those who are really
looking at hospitality as alife-changing opportunity.
They probably haven't evendecided whether or not this is
going to be a professional goalof theirs, but an opportunity
(06:31):
for them to see, behind thehidden curtain, what can be for
them in hospitality.
So Hospitality 4, we work withdifferent organizations.
We work with youth kids thatare in high school, kids who are
marginalized, kids who parentsprobably been incarcerated.
We want to make sure that theyhave a new look on life and see
(06:51):
themselves as future globalcitizens.
So we work with differentorganizations to provide a
pathway for them to learn.
So, whether it's throughdonations, in-kind donations,
equipment, things that we canhelp drive the mission.
Because when you think aboutlaunching a restaurant is
daunting all on its own,launching a culinary school 10
(07:11):
times is daunting, is that?
And it's a challenge for us,and I actually self-funded this
whole entire project.
So, as much work as we havedone and accomplished, there's
so much more to be done andwithout the help of the
hospitality community or peoplewho believe in these type of
missions, we're not going to getfar down the street.
We need that fuel.
(07:32):
So hospitality for just aplatform for us to continue our
mission to allow students tolearn and without having to put
that tax so that that financialburden on them while they're
learning.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
Now you have a new initiative 100 Chefs of Tomorrow
, right and that is set toprovide tuition-free access to
the Schuler Institute.
What inspired you to createthat program and what impact do
you hope it will have onaspiring chefs?
Speaker 3 (07:59):
Well, me and my business partner came up with
100 Future Chefs initiativebecause, you know, in this day
and age, you know the workforceis suffering, especially on the
hospitality side, and we have togo back to the drawing board,
almost to kind of repaint thepicture of hospitality and being
a hospitality professional.
(08:20):
And back in the day we shouldpride ourselves off of working
80 hours a week, 100 hours aweek, and then, as you get older
, you realize that was a dumbdecision, because now you got
health to deal with, you gotyour body to deal with and you
got life to live.
So what we're trying to do nowis paint the picture of there
can be balance in your life andyou can also be a hospitality
professional.
(08:40):
So with this 100 Chefsinitiative is that we're going
out and we're working with ourcorporate partners and our
future donors to help provide anetwork of opportunities through
merit-based grants,scholarships, funds, so that
these kids can go through thehospitality program, get a
high-level education, truehands-on experience in
real-world settings, and thennot have to worry about the
(09:03):
burden of paying it back.
And for me, that's just where myheart is, it's just where I
believe that we should be takinghospitality education to.
Not that we don't want the kidsnot to have skin in the game,
but we want to make sure thatthey understand that they don't
have to worry about or stresspaying the bill.
We already understand that alot of businesses fall because
(09:24):
of financial reasons or whatever, so we don't want that burden
to be passed on to these kids.
So that's the reason why wecame up with the 100 Chefs
initiative.
We are challenging othercompanies to be a part of this
initiative.
I've already committed over$100,000 of my own personal
money to make sure that thiseducation is given to these
young men and women and givethem opportunities.
(09:44):
So it's a challenge to thecommunity to join forces with us
, join forces with me and helpget these kids through the
finish line without the burdenof how do they pay it back?
Speaker 1 (09:55):
That's so important because oftentimes these kids do
, once they graduate college orwhatever program that they're in
, that they're not set up forsuccess, because then they're
left with this big bill, and wesee that in a lot of different
industries.
So I think that's reallyimportant.
How do you believe that thefinancial barriers that impact
the culinary industry, whatsteps do you think that someone
(10:17):
can do to overcome those?
You know, if they don't have ascholarship, if they don't have
these programs, what are some ofthe things where they can
follow their dreams?
What are some of the steps thatyou recommend?
Speaker 3 (10:30):
Right, so that's a good question.
So for those who are looking athospitality education or some
type of continuing developmentprograms as an obstacle because
they think that there's anastronomical feat to pay to get
into those programs, there'sdifferent ways that you can get
into the hospitality industry.
You know, find a local shelf atone of your favorite
(10:52):
restaurants or someone that youknow that's in the hospitality
industry and they're doing thattype of work that is interesting
to you, whether it's bacon andpastry, whether it's catering or
whatever.
You know.
Go to them, send them an email,reach out to them and ask hey,
I'm a young man, a woman and Iwould love to shadow you.
Do a couple of hours on theweekends.
(11:12):
You know it's not interferingwith your school life, but you
know they will open up theirdoors.
One thing about the hospitalityindustry regardless of what you
see out there, you know thetemperament, you know the
hardness that we have, but weare giving in our nature,
because that's the only reasonwhy we get out the bed in the
morning is because we lovegiving to people.
We love giving our work, welove giving our time.
(11:34):
And so somebody young come tous and say hey, I want to learn
from you.
Nine times out of 10, thatshelf or that manager, whoever
it may be, will say, yes, youknow what?
Let me train you, let me workwith you.
So there's a lot of differentways that you can get into the
industry without having to worryabout paying the fee For me.
That's the reason why I wantedto create the Schuler Institute,
(11:55):
because they need a combinationof some formal training and
education and also, at the sametime, real world experience, and
we give both of those in a veryunique setting.
But we also want them to beable to go through the program
without the worry of thatbarrier.
Right, how do I get into itwithout having to worry about
the money?
Money is always the determiningfactor for a lot of our success
(12:19):
.
So we believe that, togetherwith the corporate role coming
together for one initial cause,that we can allow students to
get that education withouthaving to worry about the
financial burden of it.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
That's great advice.
I firmly believe in hands-onexperience, so I definitely
agree with that and appreciatethat.
You have been honored with somereally amazing awards and
accolades and I know that yousaid that that's not what you do
it for, but I mean it's superimpressive and it includes being
inducted into the AfricanAmerican Hall of Fame in
(12:53):
Savannah and the SmithsonianAfrican American Museum.
How have those recognitionsinfluenced your mission in the
culinary world?
Speaker 3 (13:03):
Well, I think those are just the results of being
committed to what you do, and Ithink that's an example that we
want to share with young men andwomen.
Like for me, I've been doingone thing since I was 17, 18
years old and I never deviatedfrom this path that I've been on
.
And those are just rewards,those are just badges that just
(13:23):
show like, hey, if you stay atit, you can.
You know you stay committed toit.
This is what can happen for youas well.
There's nothing special aboutme.
You know.
I didn't go to a harbor oranything like that.
I was just a determined youngman who wanted to one prove a
lot to myself, but also prove alot to those people who voted me
less likely to succeed.
And so, because of that, I knowthere's a lot of men and women
(13:45):
out there who's feeling the samething that I felt back when I
was a young kid.
And so you know, by having thatdetermination and having goals
that you want to work towards,regardless how crazy they are
right you think about all ofthose awards and accolades that
I've got always came when Iaccomplished something that
people said I couldn'taccomplish.
(14:05):
The first was like hey, hecan't make the Olympic team.
Well, guess what?
I did make the Olympic team.
And here comes some more rewardwith that.
And then it was like they wouldnever allow an African-American
field certified master chef,which to me was absolutely BS.
And I say you know what?
I'm going to prove these peoplewrong.
So I studied, I became a truestudent of my craft.
I worked, I left myself open tofeedback from all different
(14:28):
types of people and not just,you know, in my own community,
but you know people withdifferent backgrounds and
letting that soak in and developmyself to be a master chef, I
went and I passed the masterchef exam.
So all of these awards and allthis recognition that you see,
is not that I happen to be agreat personality on TV or I
happen to luck up and win sometype of lottery.
(14:49):
All of that is a reward forbeing persistent during the good
and bad times to this cause ofbeing the professional chef.
But the secret part of thatrecipe is that I've always gave
every step of the way.
I never went on this road andmade it about Darryl Shuler.
I always made it about otherpeople, and I think that's the
(15:11):
piece that we forget about.
Is cannot be about you.
It has to be about others, andif you put others in front of
you, you'll always be in thespotlight.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
I love that.
You know you've talked aboutthis a little bit, but how does
your commitment to resilienceand diversity play a role in
shaping these young people thatyou're working with?
Speaker 3 (15:32):
Well, that's a great question, because why you have
to be persistent and resilient?
Because there's going to be somany things in life that's going
to be there to slow you down,Whether it's through the hands
of people or just life ingeneral.
These are tests that's there tokeep you from getting to where
you want to be in life, and,whether you're a spiritual
person or not, you still have toface those obstacles.
(15:53):
And for me, I just knew thehigher I went, the thinner the
atmosphere is right, the harderit is to breathe.
The likelihood of somethinghappening.
The farther the fall, theharder the fall.
Not too many people are there.
You know it's like you know,climbing Mount Everest.
You know you get there as agoal, but look at all the danger
(16:15):
that comes along with it.
And I think if you are shootingfor the stars, you have to
understand that you have toaccept the good and you also
have to accept the bad.
And so, with me, I found thatI've developed all the tools to
protect myself by working withmulticultural people.
And the reason why I say thatis because I have something to
(16:38):
fall back on and something don'twork out for me.
Right, I'm not a onedimensional shelf.
I understand the business piece.
I know how to communicate withpeople.
I know how to work with people.
I know how to get in thekitchen and grind it out if I
need to.
I can wash dishes if I have to.
I'm really really well rounded,and I think we have to
understand that you have topolish the ball all the way
(16:58):
around, and so, with that, Iwould tell young men and women
to be a true global citizen.
Learn the stories of everyonearound you, Because in order for
you to master the art ofcooking, whether it's any type
of cultural cuisine, you'llnever really master it without
understanding the culturalaspects behind it, the stories
of the people, the reason whythey do things, and here's the
(17:21):
reason you know why it's notreally authentic.
If you did it that way, and Ithink if you open yourself up to
be a true sponge, you can stillshoot for the stars and not
have to worry about an offsetmoment, because you have the
tools to still land on your feetand get back up there again.
So I know that's a long wayaround with that question, but I
just feel passionate about thatbecause I've always faced
(17:44):
resistance and it doesn't comein a traditional setting right.
Most people look at a blackchef and think racism was just
hitting you in the face like youknow when or whatever.
And that's not really the case,I think, in life.
I think if you present yourselfin a very professional manner,
you carry yourself with acertain sense of pride and
dignity.
People want to gravitate to youand it's people from all over
(18:07):
the world and different cultureswant to gravitate to you.
So that's where I'm at with thedevelopment of our students is
making them true global citizens, so they can go anywhere in
this world and they should beable to flourish.
Speaker 1 (18:20):
You mentioned it before the Culinary Olympics and
you participated also in theCulinary World Cup.
How has the exposure to thesedifferent cultures influenced
your approach to cooking?
You mentioned some of this onteaching, but what about
creating your various dishes?
Speaker 3 (18:41):
Well for myself.
Having that global experienceis really important For me.
I just I wanted to travel towhere I wanted to get out of
Central Florida.
I wanted to just travel as manycountries as I possibly can,
and it was a good combination oftravel, cooking and sports, and
I love sports.
I love the competitive nature,I love the camaraderie of
(19:02):
working on the team, reallyfocusing on one common goal and
everybody pushing in that samedirection.
So that whole entire experiencewas not just me exposing myself
to the different types ofcooking around the world, but it
gave me an opportunity to learn, you know, that there are some
similarities in everything thatwe do, specifically when it
(19:23):
comes to cooking.
So I just love the idea oftravel.
So when I was on the Olympicteam, when you have to develop
your skills and you have todevelop your program, you have
to do it in such a high levelthat you competed against 63
other countries and thoseshelves are competing against
you and everybody's competingagainst each other.
So you always got to push theenvelope and refine your skills
(19:45):
and not get complacent that youhave something good.
You know it's easy for you tosay, wow, I think this is
perfect.
Let's stop you never stop.
You always look at how we canmake it even better.
Perfection is always one stepahead.
I don't think you ever reachperfection, because if you reach
perfection I think you stoplearning.
So that's kind of like some ofthe things I've learned on those
(20:06):
journeys with the Olympic team,representing the United States,
with the ACF A lot of greatmaster's shelves that became
mentor and inspirations for me,a brotherhood that I created
with my fellow colleagues whowas on the team.
We don't talk to each otherevery day, but when we do speak
and when we do talk we pick upwhere we left off, and that type
(20:26):
of relationship you can't put aprice tag on.
So for me it was just a greatopportunity to just learn and it
made me into the chef who I amtoday.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
What did a day look like in the culinary Olympics?
I'm not as familiar with that,so is it a timed event?
Do you all cook at the sametime?
What does an event look likewith that?
Speaker 3 (20:50):
Well, the culinary Olympics is a process.
It's a one-dope time.
Yes, it's one event that'shappening every four years.
As a matter of fact, it's goingon right now in Germany, with
the US Olympic team over therecompeting.
So we wish them all the best,but when I went in 2008, I was
on the 2018, we actually startedtraining in 2005.
(21:14):
And what they do is, with theAmerican Culinary Federation,
they'll put out an announcementthat they're going through the
trial process and so all theseshelves will submit applications
like your competition resume,your work resume.
Fill out an application,they'll send you an invite to
come and compete and you'll dolike a first phase competition.
So it's more like the cold foodyour platters, your aspects,
(21:39):
your garnishes, your pate, yourterrines, all the intricate
stuff to show your skill level.
And if you score or you medalat a certain level, you get
invited to what they call thefinals.
And the finals is where theywill put you in the kitchen and
you have X amount of hours tocook X amount of dishes for X
amount of people, known as aboutfor 10.
And it's very stringent processbecause they want to see your
(22:02):
capacity to cook on the pressureand your innovation and your
thought and how you work with acombing, and so I was able to
achieve that in 2005.
And then for two years we trainand we went to a few
competitions leading up to theactual main competition, which
was the Culinary Olympics inErfurt, germany.
(22:22):
And you're traveling everyother weekend with your job 40,
50, 60 hours a week that youwork on your job.
Then you got to train.
You got to work on your platter, your component, your
assignment on that team, andthen come as a team and have
like a mock practice session.
So when you go to the CulinaryOlympics there are so many
different categories becausethere are so many skill sets
(22:44):
associated with cooking.
So you got your bacon andpastry, you got your
centerpieces, you got yourpettifourth finger food, you got
restaurant platters and plateddishes, and then you have your
show platters, which is kind ofyour elaborate garmanger
techniques, cold food.
There's so many different waysof showcasing skills in the
(23:06):
kitchen.
And then when you're on thenational team, you actually go
in the kitchen and you cook forabout 50 people a four course
meal and the judges judge anyplate that they want to choose
out of that 50 as your scoringplates.
So it requires a lot of focus.
It requires a lot ofconsistency and focus, and a lot
(23:26):
of people can't do that.
A lot of people can start offstrong but they end up flat.
And when you're part of theOlympic team, every dish, from
the very first to the last, needto be gold medal standards,
because you just never know, andthat type of skill set and that
type of focus and thatinnovation that goes along with
creating a program that haven'tbeen seen before, because you
don't want to duplicate whatanother team has done and you
(23:48):
want to bring something freshand new because it's designed to
push the industry forward.
And so with that, with thattype of skill set and that
training, it allows you toconstantly develop as a chef,
and so that was the hugeplatform that I took to become a
master chef.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
Wow, that sounds like a lot of pressure.
Speaker 3 (24:06):
I don't even like somebody coming in my kitchen
when I cook, but you also got tothink about we're cooking in
different kitchens, and that'sanother thing that a lot of
chefs suffer with is that webecome complacent with our own
and I have to have my own set ofknives, I have to have my own
set of kitchen tools.
(24:26):
I can only adapt, I can only dowell if I'm in my home kitchen
my home kitchen or my ownkitchen, whatever but can you
take that level of excellencewith you in any situation?
And that's really the challenge.
Speaker 1 (24:41):
Yeah, I can see that.
So can you.
Aside from that, can you sharea memorable moment, inspiring
moment even from theseexperiences in your culinary
journey?
Speaker 3 (24:56):
I'm going to give one that's not so pleasant and I'm
going to tell you reason why.
So when I was on the Olympicteam in 2008,.
After you experienced success,you got to be careful, because
when you're young and you'renaive, you think that you've
made it and you're good for life.
Then what comes in isself-entitlement and you feel
(25:21):
like I got it piece of cake.
So, after coming back from a,from a successful 2008 run with
lipid gold medals, we tried outagain for 2012 team.
You know I was working my job.
I was, you know, my, my, mystatus rose even more.
You know, really basket in theglory and Not really taking it
(25:44):
serious.
And so in 2012, I didn't do sowell and that was a huge
Awakening for me.
It was one of the mostmiserable moments of my life
because that self-entitlement isa killer.
And so when people say, whydon't you celebrate more shelf,
well, you having the experienceof downfall like I've had, you
(26:06):
know, you having the experiencethat that self-inflicted wound,
because you just feel like youjust got it together and you
don't have to push anymore.
So I said to myself, no matterwhat kind of magazine I'm in or
what feature I'm on, I'll Begrateful for it, but I'm not
celebrating it.
I never will not have thatsense of urgency and that hunger
(26:27):
ever again.
So that story turned out to bea great story because it allowed
me to stay consistent from thatpoint on.
So I was able still to go stillto go back to the Olympics in
2012, but it also gave me thatfiring at determination to push
it even farther, to make sure Imet that platform, to become a
(26:48):
master chef.
Speaker 1 (26:50):
Well, I think what's key in that story, too, is that
you learned from it and you tookthose lessons to grow as an
individual, because I thinkPeople don't always do that.
I think we're all guilty ofthat at some point in our lives,
and I think that that is thekey part of that is that you
took that and you grew from it.
Yeah, that's really important.
(27:10):
So this is, of course, an art.
So what is your favorite dishto create?
Speaker 3 (27:18):
You know that's a that's.
That's a tough question to aska chef like me.
Only because, only becausewe're always Revising, we always
are pushing the envelope.
I'm an artist and so when youask an artist, you know, I think
when they get on stage and theysee their hits over and over
again, it's because people justwant to see the hits Right but
(27:40):
they want to also say hey,listen to my new music, you know
.
And so I think that's a commonquestion that people ask of
shelves, which makes a lot ofchefs cringe, because I don't
want to say that.
I love making my salmon andasparagus salad or Dish,
whatever it may be, and I lovemaking it, and I make that all
the time.
Whatever I made great yesterdayis no more exciting to me, and
(28:02):
I want to create something new.
So it's tough to answer thatquestion, but I just love
listening to the food, right?
So if you listen to the foodand you pay attention to what
you have in front of you, it'sgoing to tell you what needs to
be done and you don't alwayshave to go to a recipe to make
it happen.
That's why fundamentals are soimportant.
Once you have the fundamentalsin place, you understand the
(28:24):
science of cooking and all theaspects of heat and acidity and
so forth.
You can actually look at amischieve basket of ingredients
and say I know what I need to dowith.
This is talking to me.
The flavors are telling me Ineed to go this direction, the
texture is telling me it needsto be made this way and the food
is really talking to you.
So I hope that answer thatquestion.
(28:44):
But I don't have a favorite.
I don't have a favoritecreative this to share with you,
unfortunately, that makes sense.
Speaker 1 (28:51):
Can you share a favorite travel destination
that's left a lasting impact onyour culinary perspective?
Speaker 3 (28:58):
That's a great one and I've had quite a few global
travels, but I would say my tripto China was a huge, away from
a huge awakening for me.
So in 2005 I was part of theart institute international
culinary team, which was about10 directors from different
(29:20):
programs and I was the onlyeducator teacher with them.
So I was honored that theyallowed me to come along with
them.
But they was invited by theChinese government to come over
and be a part of this culinaryExperiences, like a competition
that they had over there.
So we was in Guangzhou, china,and so you know, you're flying
to China alone, flight overthere, you get over there and
(29:42):
you can't wait to try Chinesefood.
Oh my gosh, you can't wait.
You just think in your mindwhat you had at the Chinese
restaurant around the corner.
Forget about that.
It was a huge awakening and thatexperience and really seeing
the culture of the people andhow they live and the excitement
that they had of seeing thefirst people from America, like
(30:05):
they was looking at me like Iwas Godzilla walking through the
streets or anything, and I'mlike, oh man, you know, but it
was good.
It was like a lot of support, alot of shooting me like a
celebrity, taking pictures andstuff, but that whole entire
culinary experience was a trueeye opening for me.
I would say that that had to beprobably the most Incredible
(30:28):
experience I ever had, and theyalso.
We had opportunity to go toHong Kong and see the
westernization of you know Chinaand comparing the two.
So mainland China wasdefinitely far more the the most
eye awakening experience I'veever had in my global travels.
Speaker 1 (30:44):
As a certified master chef, how do you balance
preserving culinary traditionwith pushing the boundaries of
innovation in your kitchen?
Speaker 3 (30:54):
That's a great question, to combine both
tradition and innovation.
So I use what I call the 80-20rule 80% class and 20% trend.
And the reason why I say thatif you look at the car industry
cars right you look at a Mustang, the similarities between a
2024 Mustang and one from 1960,there's a little similarities
(31:21):
between the two, right, that'stheir 80%.
Because they keep it somewhatthe same.
They just keep adding newfeatures and new adjustments and
new colors and new, all thebells and whistles to make it
innovative.
And so for me, I think, keepingto those classic principles,
the fundamentals, the platingstyles, the approach to cooking
(31:44):
itself, I think that's the basisin which I do everything.
And then the creative side islike what do I do that's fresh
and new?
There's a lot of chefs out therethat are innovating new styles
every single day and as much asyou want to accept it or don't
want to accept it, you have torecognize it and I think you got
to take a little bit of thatand apply it to who you are and
(32:06):
stay relevant with the times.
I'm a student of Scarfier, whichis a classical French chef, one
of the kings of chefs inhistory, and in his book he says
, to take his recipes and makeit applicable to the day and
time that you're in.
So you got to take thoseclassical recipes and innovate
it in a way to where it makessense for today's society.
(32:26):
You know we got dietaryrestrictions now, a lot more
than what it was back in the day.
You know you got the vegan, yougot the vegetarian, you got the
pescetare, you got the glutenfree.
So taking those recipes andinnovating it to provide great
food for everyone is the keybehind it.
So it's a challenge but at thesame time it keeps you as a
(32:49):
student and it keeps youconstantly studying and keep you
in the lab constantly workingon your craft.
Speaker 1 (32:55):
Well, that's one thing about your career it's
never boring.
It's something different everyday, truly.
Speaker 3 (33:01):
It is, it is.
Speaker 1 (33:02):
So, looking ahead, are there any new projects or
new goals and ideas that youhave in the coming months and
the next couple of years thatyou can share with us?
Speaker 3 (33:14):
Absolutely so.
With the business, as always,you constantly looking at growth
, you always looking atexpanding, and we're in the
midst of an expansionopportunity here.
So we'll be making anannouncement about what we are
now and what we're planning ongoing real soon.
There's a lot of attention thatis coming our way and a lot of
support we're getting from thecorporate world to really grow
(33:35):
the business, so we'll be makingsome announcements with those.
Also, I am in the works oflaunching my very first cookbook
, which should be coming outlater on this year.
We're expanding differentcities, another restaurant, you
name.
It is just.
Everything is on the board andwe're constantly moving things
(33:57):
around to make it happen.
So I'm just going to continueto ride this wave of success as
long as I possibly can.
But the most important thing isthat we just want to continue
to open the doors for anyonethat wants to learn hospitality
and the benefits of being in thehospitality industry and where
it can take you and I just gotto go back to that word of being
(34:20):
a global citizen because youreally can travel the world and
be adaptable in those differentcountries through food, and it's
nothing better than being ableto go to a farm or go to a
farmer's market and shop andpick and walk into your home
kitchen and create somethingmagical for not only for
yourself but for your family,because food is, to me, is the
(34:43):
only common ground to where wecan make everyone civilized and
you can talk through yourdifferences or whatever
political view stance you have.
That's the one place to whereeveryone can do it in a very
civil manner.
So that's just what we got onthe books.
Speaker 1 (34:58):
I love that.
I am a big gardener, so I canappreciate going and picking the
things that I've grown myselfand then cooking that for my
family.
That's one of my favoritethings to do.
I look forward to that in thespring and summer.
Where can our listeners findyou online?
Speaker 3 (35:15):
So they can follow me at Darryl Shuler C and C on all
of the social media platformsis consistent across the board.
You can find me there, see allof the things we got going on
here at the restaurant, theschool, some of our future plans
that we have upcoming.
You can follow me there and youcan also support the program
(35:37):
ShulerInstitutecom.
You know it's a huge feat to beable to launch a culinary
program state license.
We want to make sure that wegive students the opportunity to
be in the spotlight for theright reason and without having
something just as competitive towhat the streets offer, we're
going to lose our kids to thestreets Right.
(35:58):
So that's the reason why Ireally embrace the community
coming being a part of this,providing a lot of opportunities
for the students to get postsecondary education and beyond
into the workforce, into theircareers and beyond and just
build great financial wealth forthemselves and leave a legacy
also.
Speaker 1 (36:16):
And I will make sure to link to all of your website
and your social media in thenotes of this episode.
One last question Do you have afavorite quote or any words of
wisdom that you would like toleave behind?
Speaker 3 (36:32):
Well, rosa, wisdom that I want to give to any and
everyone is that when you give,giving is like going down a one
way street.
You're not going to really seeanyone coming back your way, and
so when you give, I think yougive and keep it moving, because
if they expecting for a lot ofreturn, then your heart may be
broken.
So if you give your time, yourmoney, your efforts or whatever,
(36:56):
give it for the true, purereason that you're giving it
from your heart and for me I'vealways had, and I think God has
always blessed me with resourcesbecause I'm a giver I give him
my time freely and I just hopethat everyone just watching this
supports what we're trying todo and help give you know,
because we're just going to giveit on to the next generation
(37:18):
that's going to do far more,greater things that I've done.
So I really do.
Thank you, amelia, for thisopportunity, and it's just been
a pleasure.
Speaker 1 (37:25):
Thank you so much for joining me.
Your art and your dedicationand your passion to your craft
is really inspiring and I'msuper grateful that you took
time to chat with me today.
Thank you so much.
Welcome to Voices of Inspiration.
Today, I'm honored to have ChefDarrell Schueller with us, a
culinary trailblazer and thevisionary behind the Schueller
Institute.
As an award-winning certifiedmaster chef, his impact on the
culinary world is profound.
In our conversation, he shareshis journey from his early days
in the industry to the foundingof the Schueller Institute.
(00:20):
Through initiatives likeHospitality Forward and 100
Chefs of Tomorrow, ChefSchueller is ensuring that
aspiring chefs have access toquality education.
Chef Schueller's philosophyblends tradition with innovation
, emphasizing the importance ofclassic techniques alongside new
flavors.
Join us as we explore his story, filled with resilience,
(00:41):
diversity and a globalperspective.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Everyone has a story to tell.
We connect and relate to oneanother when we share our
stories.
My name is Amelia Ove and I amyour host of Voices of
Inspiration.
Join me as I share stories offriends, family and strangers,
for my everyday life and travels.
You will laugh, possibly cry orwalk away, feeling connected
more than ever to those aroundyou and ready to be the change
(01:08):
our world needs.
Everyone has a story to tell.
What's yours?
Speaker 1 (01:22):
Thank you so much for joining me today.
I know you have a really busyschedule and I appreciate you
just taking time to meet with meand to share your story.
All that you are doing in theculinary world in the Atlanta
area and beyond is reallyamazing and I really want to
just start from the beginning.
What initially sparked yourpassion for culinary arts?
Speaker 3 (01:47):
Well, first, thank you for this opportunity and
platform.
It's truly an honor.
Well, I have to say that itreally began at home.
The love of food really beganwith watching my mother how she
would cook and she was anabsolutely amazing cook I would
call her a chef and she wasactually professionally trained.
Just how she just took thingsthat she knew and things that
(02:09):
was affordable to her and makingit absolutely, just incredible.
And she had a heart of giving.
So I think that's where thelove of giving to others come
from.
I just saw how she would workin the citrus industry and it
was a seasonal job and she wouldtake what little she had and go
buy and cook on the weekendsand she'll feed pretty much
(02:30):
everyone on the street, takingpackages of food to all the
neighbors, and we would packfood and put it in the backseat
of the car and drive to churchon Sunday.
So that's really where thepassion began for me.
But the idea of turning thatinto a profession didn't start
until I came to Atlanta back in1992.
And I saw a commercial for alocal culinary school and it was
(02:54):
something about that experienceof watching that chef come out
of the kitchen and in thecommercial, everyone stood up
and started clapping for him.
And then I was like that's whatI want to do and actually
called the school and enrolled.
And at that time culinaryschools were just few, far in
between, so I didn't haveanything to compare to.
(03:15):
But I went through, graduatedfrom that program and actually
started to teach at that sameprogram 10 years later.
So that's where everythingbegan and that's what it led
into my actual professionalcareer.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
What was your favorite thing that your mom
cooked?
Speaker 3 (03:30):
Oh, my God, so many memories.
That's a good question.
I always say you know she wouldmake great one pot stews and me
and my brother always ask oneof you making ox tells.
And you know we didn't know oxtail was a cultural thing, you
know, but it was something thatwe just love the first and show
make it with some rice and thatrich broth and her greens.
(03:52):
And you know southern food waspart of our tradition, what we
ate.
But she was a great baker aswell.
She would make absolutelyincredible like coconut cake or
different pies, or she made thisfamous pecan candy that she's
really known for.
There's a lot of things I cansay that bring back good
memories of her.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
You are the first African American certified
master chef.
What does this accomplishmentmean to you personally and how
has it influenced your approachto mentorship?
Speaker 3 (04:25):
Well, being the first African American to obtain the
title of certified master chef,that's for me, was just a goal
that I had for myself.
It wasn't that, you know, I was, you know, a champion trying to
be the first.
It was just, I just wanted tobe a master chef and I knew that
there was a lot of chefs outthere and the word master just
(04:47):
thrown out quite a bit and itdoesn't say that people haven't
mastered the art of cooking.
But then it's debatable Right,are you really a master to craft
?
So when I found out that therewas an actual certified master
chef exam a level, the highestlevel that you can get as a
person, of chef, individual chefI said that's what I wanted to
do and I learned that right outof high school.
(05:09):
And so pursuing those goals youknow, being on the Olympic team
as a platform to become a masterchef, and then taking that 130
hour cooking exam over eightdays and pass it in the
California, that whole entireprocess really shaped the second
phase of my career.
But to your question, what itdoes for the youth and people
(05:31):
around me is that we obtainthose things so that we can give
it to others.
And if you look at my career,there was always influences from
other people like inspirations,and then there was always a
flood of people that come behindme that I gave to, and so I
just love the idea of justobtaining knowledge and
obtaining skills to give toothers.
(05:52):
And it's not really about meeven though I get a lot of
recognition and a lot of praiseit's really about me obtaining
as much as I possibly can so Ican help as many people as I
possibly can.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
I really love that.
That's really great.
Can you talk a little bit abouthospitality Ford?
Speaker 3 (06:11):
So Hospitality 4 is the Schueger Institute's 5013C
nonprofit arm.
It is designed to really goafter those who are really
looking at hospitality as alife-changing opportunity.
They probably haven't evendecided whether or not this is
going to be a professional goalof theirs, but an opportunity
(06:31):
for them to see, behind thehidden curtain, what can be for
them in hospitality.
So Hospitality 4, we work withdifferent organizations.
We work with youth kids thatare in high school, kids who are
marginalized, kids who parentsprobably been incarcerated.
We want to make sure that theyhave a new look on life and see
(06:51):
themselves as future globalcitizens.
So we work with differentorganizations to provide a
pathway for them to learn.
So, whether it's throughdonations, in-kind donations,
equipment, things that we canhelp drive the mission.
Because when you think aboutlaunching a restaurant is
daunting all on its own,launching a culinary school 10
(07:11):
times is daunting, is that?
And it's a challenge for us,and I actually self-funded this
whole entire project.
So, as much work as we havedone and accomplished, there's
so much more to be done andwithout the help of the
hospitality community or peoplewho believe in these type of
missions, we're not going to getfar down the street.
We need that fuel.
(07:32):
So hospitality for just aplatform for us to continue our
mission to allow students tolearn and without having to put
that tax so that that financialburden on them while they're
learning.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
Now you have a new initiative 100 Chefs of Tomorrow
, right and that is set toprovide tuition-free access to
the Schuler Institute.
What inspired you to createthat program and what impact do
you hope it will have onaspiring chefs?
Speaker 3 (07:59):
Well, me and my business partner came up with
100 Future Chefs initiativebecause, you know, in this day
and age, you know the workforceis suffering, especially on the
hospitality side, and we have togo back to the drawing board,
almost to kind of repaint thepicture of hospitality and being
a hospitality professional.
(08:20):
And back in the day we shouldpride ourselves off of working
80 hours a week, 100 hours aweek, and then, as you get older
, you realize that was a dumbdecision, because now you got
health to deal with, you gotyour body to deal with and you
got life to live.
So what we're trying to do nowis paint the picture of there
can be balance in your life andyou can also be a hospitality
professional.
(08:40):
So with this 100 Chefsinitiative is that we're going
out and we're working with ourcorporate partners and our
future donors to help provide anetwork of opportunities through
merit-based grants,scholarships, funds, so that
these kids can go through thehospitality program, get a
high-level education, truehands-on experience in
real-world settings, and thennot have to worry about the
(09:03):
burden of paying it back.
And for me, that's just where myheart is, it's just where I
believe that we should be takinghospitality education to.
Not that we don't want the kidsnot to have skin in the game,
but we want to make sure thatthey understand that they don't
have to worry about or stresspaying the bill.
We already understand that alot of businesses fall because
(09:24):
of financial reasons or whatever, so we don't want that burden
to be passed on to these kids.
So that's the reason why wecame up with the 100 Chefs
initiative.
We are challenging othercompanies to be a part of this
initiative.
I've already committed over$100,000 of my own personal
money to make sure that thiseducation is given to these
young men and women and givethem opportunities.
(09:44):
So it's a challenge to thecommunity to join forces with us
, join forces with me and helpget these kids through the
finish line without the burdenof how do they pay it back?
Speaker 1 (09:55):
That's so important because oftentimes these kids do
, once they graduate college orwhatever program that they're in
, that they're not set up forsuccess, because then they're
left with this big bill, and wesee that in a lot of different
industries.
So I think that's reallyimportant.
How do you believe that thefinancial barriers that impact
the culinary industry, whatsteps do you think that someone
(10:17):
can do to overcome those?
You know, if they don't have ascholarship, if they don't have
these programs, what are some ofthe things where they can
follow their dreams?
What are some of the steps thatyou recommend?
Speaker 3 (10:30):
Right, so that's a good question.
So for those who are looking athospitality education or some
type of continuing developmentprograms as an obstacle because
they think that there's anastronomical feat to pay to get
into those programs, there'sdifferent ways that you can get
into the hospitality industry.
You know, find a local shelf atone of your favorite
(10:52):
restaurants or someone that youknow that's in the hospitality
industry and they're doing thattype of work that is interesting
to you, whether it's bacon andpastry, whether it's catering or
whatever.
You know.
Go to them, send them an email,reach out to them and ask hey,
I'm a young man, a woman and Iwould love to shadow you.
Do a couple of hours on theweekends.
(11:12):
You know it's not interferingwith your school life, but you
know they will open up theirdoors.
One thing about the hospitalityindustry regardless of what you
see out there, you know thetemperament, you know the
hardness that we have, but weare giving in our nature,
because that's the only reasonwhy we get out the bed in the
morning is because we lovegiving to people.
We love giving our work, welove giving our time.
(11:34):
And so somebody young come tous and say hey, I want to learn
from you.
Nine times out of 10, thatshelf or that manager, whoever
it may be, will say, yes, youknow what?
Let me train you, let me workwith you.
So there's a lot of differentways that you can get into the
industry without having to worryabout paying the fee For me.
That's the reason why I wantedto create the Schuler Institute,
(11:55):
because they need a combinationof some formal training and
education and also, at the sametime, real world experience, and
we give both of those in a veryunique setting.
But we also want them to beable to go through the program
without the worry of thatbarrier.
Right, how do I get into itwithout having to worry about
the money?
Money is always the determiningfactor for a lot of our success
(12:19):
.
So we believe that, togetherwith the corporate role coming
together for one initial cause,that we can allow students to
get that education withouthaving to worry about the
financial burden of it.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
That's great advice.
I firmly believe in hands-onexperience, so I definitely
agree with that and appreciatethat.
You have been honored with somereally amazing awards and
accolades and I know that yousaid that that's not what you do
it for, but I mean it's superimpressive and it includes being
inducted into the AfricanAmerican Hall of Fame in
(12:53):
Savannah and the SmithsonianAfrican American Museum.
How have those recognitionsinfluenced your mission in the
culinary world?
Speaker 3 (13:03):
Well, I think those are just the results of being
committed to what you do, and Ithink that's an example that we
want to share with young men andwomen.
Like for me, I've been doingone thing since I was 17, 18
years old and I never deviatedfrom this path that I've been on
.
And those are just rewards,those are just badges that just
(13:23):
show like, hey, if you stay atit, you can.
You know you stay committed toit.
This is what can happen for youas well.
There's nothing special aboutme.
You know.
I didn't go to a harbor oranything like that.
I was just a determined youngman who wanted to one prove a
lot to myself, but also prove alot to those people who voted me
less likely to succeed.
And so, because of that, I knowthere's a lot of men and women
(13:45):
out there who's feeling the samething that I felt back when I
was a young kid.
And so you know, by having thatdetermination and having goals
that you want to work towards,regardless how crazy they are
right you think about all ofthose awards and accolades that
I've got always came when Iaccomplished something that
people said I couldn'taccomplish.
(14:05):
The first was like hey, hecan't make the Olympic team.
Well, guess what?
I did make the Olympic team.
And here comes some more rewardwith that.
And then it was like they wouldnever allow an African-American
field certified master chef,which to me was absolutely BS.
And I say you know what?
I'm going to prove these peoplewrong.
So I studied, I became a truestudent of my craft.
I worked, I left myself open tofeedback from all different
(14:28):
types of people and not just,you know, in my own community,
but you know people withdifferent backgrounds and
letting that soak in and developmyself to be a master chef, I
went and I passed the masterchef exam.
So all of these awards and allthis recognition that you see,
is not that I happen to be agreat personality on TV or I
happen to luck up and win sometype of lottery.
(14:49):
All of that is a reward forbeing persistent during the good
and bad times to this cause ofbeing the professional chef.
But the secret part of thatrecipe is that I've always gave
every step of the way.
I never went on this road andmade it about Darryl Shuler.
I always made it about otherpeople, and I think that's the
(15:11):
piece that we forget about.
Is cannot be about you.
It has to be about others, andif you put others in front of
you, you'll always be in thespotlight.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
I love that.
You know you've talked aboutthis a little bit, but how does
your commitment to resilienceand diversity play a role in
shaping these young people thatyou're working with?
Speaker 3 (15:32):
Well, that's a great question, because why you have
to be persistent and resilient?
Because there's going to be somany things in life that's going
to be there to slow you down,Whether it's through the hands
of people or just life ingeneral.
These are tests that's there tokeep you from getting to where
you want to be in life, and,whether you're a spiritual
person or not, you still have toface those obstacles.
(15:53):
And for me, I just knew thehigher I went, the thinner the
atmosphere is right, the harderit is to breathe.
The likelihood of somethinghappening.
The farther the fall, theharder the fall.
Not too many people are there.
You know it's like you know,climbing Mount Everest.
You know you get there as agoal, but look at all the danger
(16:15):
that comes along with it.
And I think if you are shootingfor the stars, you have to
understand that you have toaccept the good and you also
have to accept the bad.
And so, with me, I found thatI've developed all the tools to
protect myself by working withmulticultural people.
And the reason why I say thatis because I have something to
(16:38):
fall back on and something don'twork out for me.
Right, I'm not a onedimensional shelf.
I understand the business piece.
I know how to communicate withpeople.
I know how to work with people.
I know how to get in thekitchen and grind it out if I
need to.
I can wash dishes if I have to.
I'm really really well rounded,and I think we have to
understand that you have topolish the ball all the way
(16:58):
around, and so, with that, Iwould tell young men and women
to be a true global citizen.
Learn the stories of everyonearound you, Because in order for
you to master the art ofcooking, whether it's any type
of cultural cuisine, you'llnever really master it without
understanding the culturalaspects behind it, the stories
of the people, the reason whythey do things, and here's the
(17:21):
reason you know why it's notreally authentic.
If you did it that way, and Ithink if you open yourself up to
be a true sponge, you can stillshoot for the stars and not
have to worry about an offsetmoment, because you have the
tools to still land on your feetand get back up there again.
So I know that's a long wayaround with that question, but I
just feel passionate about thatbecause I've always faced
(17:44):
resistance and it doesn't comein a traditional setting right.
Most people look at a blackchef and think racism was just
hitting you in the face like youknow when or whatever.
And that's not really the case,I think, in life.
I think if you present yourselfin a very professional manner,
you carry yourself with acertain sense of pride and
dignity.
People want to gravitate to youand it's people from all over
(18:07):
the world and different cultureswant to gravitate to you.
So that's where I'm at with thedevelopment of our students is
making them true global citizens, so they can go anywhere in
this world and they should beable to flourish.
Speaker 1 (18:20):
You mentioned it before the Culinary Olympics and
you participated also in theCulinary World Cup.
How has the exposure to thesedifferent cultures influenced
your approach to cooking?
You mentioned some of this onteaching, but what about
creating your various dishes?
Speaker 3 (18:41):
Well for myself.
Having that global experienceis really important For me.
I just I wanted to travel towhere I wanted to get out of
Central Florida.
I wanted to just travel as manycountries as I possibly can,
and it was a good combination oftravel, cooking and sports, and
I love sports.
I love the competitive nature,I love the camaraderie of
(19:02):
working on the team, reallyfocusing on one common goal and
everybody pushing in that samedirection.
So that whole entire experiencewas not just me exposing myself
to the different types ofcooking around the world, but it
gave me an opportunity to learn, you know, that there are some
similarities in everything thatwe do, specifically when it
(19:23):
comes to cooking.
So I just love the idea oftravel.
So when I was on the Olympicteam, when you have to develop
your skills and you have todevelop your program, you have
to do it in such a high levelthat you competed against 63
other countries and thoseshelves are competing against
you and everybody's competingagainst each other.
So you always got to push theenvelope and refine your skills
(19:45):
and not get complacent that youhave something good.
You know it's easy for you tosay, wow, I think this is
perfect.
Let's stop you never stop.
You always look at how we canmake it even better.
Perfection is always one stepahead.
I don't think you ever reachperfection, because if you reach
perfection I think you stoplearning.
So that's kind of like some ofthe things I've learned on those
(20:06):
journeys with the Olympic team,representing the United States,
with the ACF A lot of greatmaster's shelves that became
mentor and inspirations for me,a brotherhood that I created
with my fellow colleagues whowas on the team.
We don't talk to each otherevery day, but when we do speak
and when we do talk we pick upwhere we left off, and that type
(20:26):
of relationship you can't put aprice tag on.
So for me it was just a greatopportunity to just learn and it
made me into the chef who I amtoday.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
What did a day look like in the culinary Olympics?
I'm not as familiar with that,so is it a timed event?
Do you all cook at the sametime?
What does an event look likewith that?
Speaker 3 (20:50):
Well, the culinary Olympics is a process.
It's a one-dope time.
Yes, it's one event that'shappening every four years.
As a matter of fact, it's goingon right now in Germany, with
the US Olympic team over therecompeting.
So we wish them all the best,but when I went in 2008, I was
on the 2018, we actually startedtraining in 2005.
(21:14):
And what they do is, with theAmerican Culinary Federation,
they'll put out an announcementthat they're going through the
trial process and so all theseshelves will submit applications
like your competition resume,your work resume.
Fill out an application,they'll send you an invite to
come and compete and you'll dolike a first phase competition.
So it's more like the cold foodyour platters, your aspects,
(21:39):
your garnishes, your pate, yourterrines, all the intricate
stuff to show your skill level.
And if you score or you medalat a certain level, you get
invited to what they call thefinals.
And the finals is where theywill put you in the kitchen and
you have X amount of hours tocook X amount of dishes for X
amount of people, known as aboutfor 10.
And it's very stringent processbecause they want to see your
(22:02):
capacity to cook on the pressureand your innovation and your
thought and how you work with acombing, and so I was able to
achieve that in 2005.
And then for two years we trainand we went to a few
competitions leading up to theactual main competition, which
was the Culinary Olympics inErfurt, germany.
(22:22):
And you're traveling everyother weekend with your job 40,
50, 60 hours a week that youwork on your job.
Then you got to train.
You got to work on your platter, your component, your
assignment on that team, andthen come as a team and have
like a mock practice session.
So when you go to the CulinaryOlympics there are so many
different categories becausethere are so many skill sets
(22:44):
associated with cooking.
So you got your bacon andpastry, you got your
centerpieces, you got yourpettifourth finger food, you got
restaurant platters and plateddishes, and then you have your
show platters, which is kind ofyour elaborate garmanger
techniques, cold food.
There's so many different waysof showcasing skills in the
(23:06):
kitchen.
And then when you're on thenational team, you actually go
in the kitchen and you cook forabout 50 people a four course
meal and the judges judge anyplate that they want to choose
out of that 50 as your scoringplates.
So it requires a lot of focus.
It requires a lot ofconsistency and focus, and a lot
(23:26):
of people can't do that.
A lot of people can start offstrong but they end up flat.
And when you're part of theOlympic team, every dish, from
the very first to the last, needto be gold medal standards,
because you just never know, andthat type of skill set and that
type of focus and thatinnovation that goes along with
creating a program that haven'tbeen seen before, because you
don't want to duplicate whatanother team has done and you
(23:48):
want to bring something freshand new because it's designed to
push the industry forward.
And so with that, with thattype of skill set and that
training, it allows you toconstantly develop as a chef,
and so that was the hugeplatform that I took to become a
master chef.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
Wow, that sounds like a lot of pressure.
Speaker 3 (24:06):
I don't even like somebody coming in my kitchen
when I cook, but you also got tothink about we're cooking in
different kitchens, and that'sanother thing that a lot of
chefs suffer with is that webecome complacent with our own
and I have to have my own set ofknives, I have to have my own
set of kitchen tools.
(24:26):
I can only adapt, I can only dowell if I'm in my home kitchen
my home kitchen or my ownkitchen, whatever but can you
take that level of excellencewith you in any situation?
And that's really the challenge.
Speaker 1 (24:41):
Yeah, I can see that.
So can you.
Aside from that, can you sharea memorable moment, inspiring
moment even from theseexperiences in your culinary
journey?
Speaker 3 (24:56):
I'm going to give one that's not so pleasant and I'm
going to tell you reason why.
So when I was on the Olympicteam in 2008,.
After you experienced success,you got to be careful, because
when you're young and you'renaive, you think that you've
made it and you're good for life.
Then what comes in isself-entitlement and you feel
(25:21):
like I got it piece of cake.
So, after coming back from a,from a successful 2008 run with
lipid gold medals, we tried outagain for 2012 team.
You know I was working my job.
I was, you know, my, my, mystatus rose even more.
You know, really basket in theglory and Not really taking it
(25:44):
serious.
And so in 2012, I didn't do sowell and that was a huge
Awakening for me.
It was one of the mostmiserable moments of my life
because that self-entitlement isa killer.
And so when people say, whydon't you celebrate more shelf,
well, you having the experienceof downfall like I've had, you
(26:06):
know, you having the experiencethat that self-inflicted wound,
because you just feel like youjust got it together and you
don't have to push anymore.
So I said to myself, no matterwhat kind of magazine I'm in or
what feature I'm on, I'll Begrateful for it, but I'm not
celebrating it.
I never will not have thatsense of urgency and that hunger
(26:27):
ever again.
So that story turned out to bea great story because it allowed
me to stay consistent from thatpoint on.
So I was able still to go stillto go back to the Olympics in
2012, but it also gave me thatfiring at determination to push
it even farther, to make sure Imet that platform, to become a
(26:48):
master chef.
Speaker 1 (26:50):
Well, I think what's key in that story, too, is that
you learned from it and you tookthose lessons to grow as an
individual, because I thinkPeople don't always do that.
I think we're all guilty ofthat at some point in our lives,
and I think that that is thekey part of that is that you
took that and you grew from it.
Yeah, that's really important.
(27:10):
So this is, of course, an art.
So what is your favorite dishto create?
Speaker 3 (27:18):
You know that's a that's.
That's a tough question to aska chef like me.
Only because, only becausewe're always Revising, we always
are pushing the envelope.
I'm an artist and so when youask an artist, you know, I think
when they get on stage and theysee their hits over and over
again, it's because people justwant to see the hits Right but
(27:40):
they want to also say hey,listen to my new music, you know
.
And so I think that's a commonquestion that people ask of
shelves, which makes a lot ofchefs cringe, because I don't
want to say that.
I love making my salmon andasparagus salad or Dish,
whatever it may be, and I lovemaking it, and I make that all
the time.
Whatever I made great yesterdayis no more exciting to me, and
(28:02):
I want to create something new.
So it's tough to answer thatquestion, but I just love
listening to the food, right?
So if you listen to the foodand you pay attention to what
you have in front of you, it'sgoing to tell you what needs to
be done and you don't alwayshave to go to a recipe to make
it happen.
That's why fundamentals are soimportant.
Once you have the fundamentalsin place, you understand the
(28:24):
science of cooking and all theaspects of heat and acidity and
so forth.
You can actually look at amischieve basket of ingredients
and say I know what I need to dowith.
This is talking to me.
The flavors are telling me Ineed to go this direction, the
texture is telling me it needsto be made this way and the food
is really talking to you.
So I hope that answer thatquestion.
(28:44):
But I don't have a favorite.
I don't have a favoritecreative this to share with you,
unfortunately, that makes sense.
Speaker 1 (28:51):
Can you share a favorite travel destination
that's left a lasting impact onyour culinary perspective?
Speaker 3 (28:58):
That's a great one and I've had quite a few global
travels, but I would say my tripto China was a huge, away from
a huge awakening for me.
So in 2005 I was part of theart institute international
culinary team, which was about10 directors from different
(29:20):
programs and I was the onlyeducator teacher with them.
So I was honored that theyallowed me to come along with
them.
But they was invited by theChinese government to come over
and be a part of this culinaryExperiences, like a competition
that they had over there.
So we was in Guangzhou, china,and so you know, you're flying
to China alone, flight overthere, you get over there and
(29:42):
you can't wait to try Chinesefood.
Oh my gosh, you can't wait.
You just think in your mindwhat you had at the Chinese
restaurant around the corner.
Forget about that.
It was a huge awakening and thatexperience and really seeing
the culture of the people andhow they live and the excitement
that they had of seeing thefirst people from America, like
(30:05):
they was looking at me like Iwas Godzilla walking through the
streets or anything, and I'mlike, oh man, you know, but it
was good.
It was like a lot of support, alot of shooting me like a
celebrity, taking pictures andstuff, but that whole entire
culinary experience was a trueeye opening for me.
I would say that that had to beprobably the most Incredible
(30:28):
experience I ever had, and theyalso.
We had opportunity to go toHong Kong and see the
westernization of you know Chinaand comparing the two.
So mainland China wasdefinitely far more the the most
eye awakening experience I'veever had in my global travels.
Speaker 1 (30:44):
As a certified master chef, how do you balance
preserving culinary traditionwith pushing the boundaries of
innovation in your kitchen?
Speaker 3 (30:54):
That's a great question, to combine both
tradition and innovation.
So I use what I call the 80-20rule 80% class and 20% trend.
And the reason why I say thatif you look at the car industry
cars right you look at a Mustang, the similarities between a
2024 Mustang and one from 1960,there's a little similarities
(31:21):
between the two, right, that'stheir 80%.
Because they keep it somewhatthe same.
They just keep adding newfeatures and new adjustments and
new colors and new, all thebells and whistles to make it
innovative.
And so for me, I think, keepingto those classic principles,
the fundamentals, the platingstyles, the approach to cooking
(31:44):
itself, I think that's the basisin which I do everything.
And then the creative side islike what do I do that's fresh
and new?
There's a lot of chefs out therethat are innovating new styles
every single day and as much asyou want to accept it or don't
want to accept it, you have torecognize it and I think you got
to take a little bit of thatand apply it to who you are and
(32:06):
stay relevant with the times.
I'm a student of Scarfier, whichis a classical French chef, one
of the kings of chefs inhistory, and in his book he says
, to take his recipes and makeit applicable to the day and
time that you're in.
So you got to take thoseclassical recipes and innovate
it in a way to where it makessense for today's society.
(32:26):
You know we got dietaryrestrictions now, a lot more
than what it was back in the day.
You know you got the vegan, yougot the vegetarian, you got the
pescetare, you got the glutenfree.
So taking those recipes andinnovating it to provide great
food for everyone is the keybehind it.
So it's a challenge but at thesame time it keeps you as a
(32:49):
student and it keeps youconstantly studying and keep you
in the lab constantly workingon your craft.
Speaker 1 (32:55):
Well, that's one thing about your career it's
never boring.
It's something different everyday, truly.
Speaker 3 (33:01):
It is, it is.
Speaker 1 (33:02):
So, looking ahead, are there any new projects or
new goals and ideas that youhave in the coming months and
the next couple of years thatyou can share with us?
Speaker 3 (33:14):
Absolutely so.
With the business, as always,you constantly looking at growth
, you always looking atexpanding, and we're in the
midst of an expansionopportunity here.
So we'll be making anannouncement about what we are
now and what we're planning ongoing real soon.
There's a lot of attention thatis coming our way and a lot of
support we're getting from thecorporate world to really grow
(33:35):
the business, so we'll be makingsome announcements with those.
Also, I am in the works oflaunching my very first cookbook
, which should be coming outlater on this year.
We're expanding differentcities, another restaurant, you
name.
It is just.
Everything is on the board andwe're constantly moving things
(33:57):
around to make it happen.
So I'm just going to continueto ride this wave of success as
long as I possibly can.
But the most important thing isthat we just want to continue
to open the doors for anyonethat wants to learn hospitality
and the benefits of being in thehospitality industry and where
it can take you and I just gotto go back to that word of being
(34:20):
a global citizen because youreally can travel the world and
be adaptable in those differentcountries through food, and it's
nothing better than being ableto go to a farm or go to a
farmer's market and shop andpick and walk into your home
kitchen and create somethingmagical for not only for
yourself but for your family,because food is, to me, is the
(34:43):
only common ground to where wecan make everyone civilized and
you can talk through yourdifferences or whatever
political view stance you have.
That's the one place to whereeveryone can do it in a very
civil manner.
So that's just what we got onthe books.
Speaker 1 (34:58):
I love that.
I am a big gardener, so I canappreciate going and picking the
things that I've grown myselfand then cooking that for my
family.
That's one of my favoritethings to do.
I look forward to that in thespring and summer.
Where can our listeners findyou online?
Speaker 3 (35:15):
So they can follow me at Darryl Shuler C and C on all
of the social media platformsis consistent across the board.
You can find me there, see allof the things we got going on
here at the restaurant, theschool, some of our future plans
that we have upcoming.
You can follow me there and youcan also support the program
(35:37):
ShulerInstitutecom.
You know it's a huge feat to beable to launch a culinary
program state license.
We want to make sure that wegive students the opportunity to
be in the spotlight for theright reason and without having
something just as competitive towhat the streets offer, we're
going to lose our kids to thestreets Right.
(35:58):
So that's the reason why Ireally embrace the community
coming being a part of this,providing a lot of opportunities
for the students to get postsecondary education and beyond
into the workforce, into theircareers and beyond and just
build great financial wealth forthemselves and leave a legacy
also.
Speaker 1 (36:16):
And I will make sure to link to all of your website
and your social media in thenotes of this episode.
One last question Do you have afavorite quote or any words of
wisdom that you would like toleave behind?
Speaker 3 (36:32):
Well, rosa, wisdom that I want to give to any and
everyone is that when you give,giving is like going down a one
way street.
You're not going to really seeanyone coming back your way, and
so when you give, I think yougive and keep it moving, because
if they expecting for a lot ofreturn, then your heart may be
broken.
So if you give your time, yourmoney, your efforts or whatever,
(36:56):
give it for the true, purereason that you're giving it
from your heart and for me I'vealways had, and I think God has
always blessed me with resourcesbecause I'm a giver I give him
my time freely and I just hopethat everyone just watching this
supports what we're trying todo and help give you know,
because we're just going to giveit on to the next generation
(37:18):
that's going to do far more,greater things that I've done.
So I really do.
Thank you, amelia, for thisopportunity, and it's just been
a pleasure.
Speaker 1 (37:25):
Thank you so much for joining me.
Your art and your dedicationand your passion to your craft
is really inspiring and I'msuper grateful that you took
time to chat with me today.
Thank you so much.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy And Charlamagne Tha God!
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.