Chef Donald J. Smith was born and raised in New Orleans, the heart and soul of Creole and Cajun culture. He learned the ins and outs of authentic Creole Cuisine at the feet of his mother and uncle. Chef Donald has traveled the world and interacted with other first-rate chefs from around the globe, and he has had the rare opportunity of sharing his expertise and passion for good food with other chefs from countries such as Brazil, Italy, and Spain. To enhance and broaden his knowledge and skills of Creole Cuisine and a little professional twist to it, he attended Louisiana Vo-Tech and Delgado Community College, where he earned several Culinary Arts certificates. Chef Donald now boasts 20 plus years of experience in culinary cuisine preparation. Chef Donald is a member of the American Culinary Federation, Association of African American Chefs, Jugs Social Club Krewe of NOMTOC, Zulu, 100 Black Men, and Glad Tiding Men of Distinction.
Christina: What is your Swagger? What makes Donald, Donald?
Donald: I consider myself a male fashionista (lol). When I walk into a room as if I own the place and all eyes should be on me, I walk with a strong feeling of confidence.
Christina: Have you always wanted to be a chef?
Donald: Early in my childhood, that’s what I used to say, but I drifted off to other things in life, didn’t start my Culinary career seriously until my mid 20’s.
Christina: Can you tell our readers about a few places you have traveled and the best dish from those places?
Donald: Brazil: Feijoada because it almost like red beans, and it’s slow-cooked for an hour.
Spain: I learned how to cook Paella; it is rich in flavor with seafood, sausage, and rice.
Christina: In your bio, it says you learned to cook authentic Creole food from your mom and uncle. Can you name four things you are glad they taught you?
Donald: 1. Food is the best gift.
- Cook based on what you have in your icebox and pantry.  Â
- You can make everything from scratch.
- There is always a substitute.
Christina: Could you imagine yourself being anything other than a chef? If so, what would you be?
Donald: If I would have taken on another occupation is would have an accountant.Â
Christina: New Orleans is the main reason people come to visit the South. You were born and raised there. What is your favorite food from NOLA that you could not live without?
Donald: My favorite NOLA food is Gumbo. I can eat it every day.Â
Christina: Who or what is your biggest inspiration?
Donald: My biggest inspiration is my mother when I see the struggle that’s she’s been though, and she’s faced, it helps me a lot when I go through troubles in my life. I would not be the person I’m today without the unconditional love of my mother.
Christina: Ok, Chef Donald. Let’s say someone reading this claims they can’t cook anything. I’m talking about burns water bad. What is some advice you would give to encourage them to keep learning and cooking?
Donald: Keep a positive attitude toward your dreams and visions, engage, and stimulate self-learning. Be willing to take positive feedback from others. Focus on your strengths and not your weaknesses.
Christina: Define success in your own words.
Donald: I believe success is defined by who you are and the person you aspire to be. In my life, success is the goals I accomplish and how I accomplished them. Meaning success is to accomplish all the goals I set with integrity.Â
Christina: Do you have any upcoming events you would like to share?
Donald: In a few weeks, I will be launching my own spice line. I have a seven spice, a Jambalaya/Dirty Mix (one rice, two flavors), and an Etouffee Base. I just dropped a cookbook a few months ago. Also, I have t-shirts and hats coming. I just received the prototype of a custom Chef Hat line I’m working on.Â
Christina: Do you have anything else you would like to share?
Donald: I would like to thank you for allowing me to use this platform to share my story and my brand.Â
Connect with Chef Donald:
Facebook: Chef D Services
Instagram: @chefdzcafeÂ
Website: https://chefdonaldsmith.com/
One Response