Profile of My Grandfather: Retired Star Miami Chef

By Kristian Chong

Q: Why did you pick this job?
A: I picked this job because I wanted to learn how to cook.

Q: How did you end up like this?
A: I was in need of a job when I came to America. Then I found cooking. I love this job.

Q: What does this job require?
A: I had to go to a chef school in order to be a chef.

Q: Do you like this job?
A: Yes, cooking is really fun, but the best part is to try your own food and taste the flavor.

Q: Is there anything difficult about this job?
A: Yes, the kitchen is really hot and it had no A.C., so it was hard to cook, but I managed to do it anyway.

Q: What was your greatest achievement about this job?
A: My greatest achievement was when my customers complimented my lobster sauce, dumplings, shrimp, fish, beef, chicken, and other types of seafood.

Q: How have things changed for the business from then to now?
A: Well, it changed from good to bad because the business closed down because of the pandemic.

Q: Did your business face any problems while working and selling food
A: Well, the home I lived in was really far away from the job, so that was an obstacle.

Q: How have your skills helped the business?
A: I helped the restaurant make money by making really good dishes, making more and more customers pay to eat at the restaurant.

Q: Was there any special dish that you had?
A: A special dish I made is a lobster dish with onion, ginger, sea gravy sauce, and either a spicy or non spicy soy sauce.

Q: What are you doing now as a retired man?
A: Well, nothing much, just watching TV and reading the news.

Q: Do you still cook the same way as before?
A: Sometimes I do, but I cook for kids so I need to take out the bones and make it less spicy.