Chef Guadalupe Hernandez
James Beard Award winner Guadalupe Hernandez’s is a freelance chef and works at some of NYC’s most renowned restaurants.
When Guadalupe’s arrived from Mexico she started cleaning houses for a living.?She eventually moved on to spend?more than 15 years as private cook, especially for elderly Manhattan clients that require various dietary restrictions like low sodium and low-fat diets.
She also started catering events and coordinating private events. Guadalupe earned a degree in Hospitality and Tourism in addition to Culinary Arts, as well as certified in Hospitality and Meeting Planning.
Rye Chef Receives James Beard Grant
Guadalupe Hernandez Photo courtesy of James Beard Foundation Guadalupe Hernandez got her start in the culinary world by bringing her lunch to work. When she first moved to New York from Mexico 23 years ago, her English was not as perfected as it is today.
She’s worked for The Green Table of Cleaver Co. in Chelsea Market, Marta Restaurant and has been part of Union Squared Hospitality and since May. Guadalupe’s works at the?Spotted Pig (winner of a Michelin start for more than ten years) and is also a freelance part-time cater chef in Manhattan and Brooklyn, NY.
Guadalupe became one of the 21 women nationwide to win a Culinary Leadership Grant through the James Beard Foundation. She will be trained in a?rigorous program with a 12-month mentorship overseen by British chef April Bloomfield and the owner of Spotted Pig, Breslin Restaurant and others.
Guadalupe wanted to participate in the YWCA’s Turn Up the Heat fundraiser?because, “By being an immigrant minority woman can be a triple challenge for me to demonstrate and accomplish my personal and professional goals. To?pursue my commitments, I have been knocking on a lot of doors, I get up when I fall down and keep working hard to find my way to success.?By participating at this event, I’m not only helping to raise money for a meaningful purpose, but it is a platform to show other women that there are no?limits to what goals we can accomplish in life.?We, women have the right to get equal opportunities as men to reach the happiness and success as they have.”
Guadalupe’s secret to success is, “Work hard every day. I wake up every day with the determination to bring the best of me in what I do with an open mind to learn something new every single day. I listen to critiques good or bad and learn from them to enrich my knowledge as professional as personal life.”
Guadalupe’s favorite thing about being a chef is, “The unique opportunity to make something that is a necessity such as eating and convert that into a memorable experience not only for the palate but for the five senses.”
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