The Homemade Chef—Corey Reed Spotlight

Originally from Brooklyn, NY, Corey Reed is a budding personal chef and recent Escoffier Online graduate that has some major culinary talent in his blood. With his grandfather being the head chef of the White House for the Richard Nixon presidency, there’s some serious talent pumping through his blood and Corey is ready to use it to the best of his ability. By honing his palate and skills with the Escoffier Online program, Corey is now the proud owner/executive chef of his own personal chef and catering business called “Corey The Homemade Chef.” With an emphasis that feeds the soul without feeding you all of the calories, his dishes are comfort food approached with healthier ingredients. That’s most of the time, at least. Just scroll through his website and you see photos of BBQ salmon, tilapia tacos, jerk chicken, roasted sweet potatoes and many more dishes that definitely get the tastebuds going. Corey is another one of the incredible hard working, driven and talented chefs that used his Escoffier Online education to learn all he could so he could pursue his culinary dreams.

Corey took a moment out of his new, busy personal chef schedule to talk to us about his favorite dishes to make, how Escoffier Online helped him start his business and the words of advice he has for other people wanting to do the same.

EO: Tell me about your business. Why did you decide to go that route?
CR:
My brand is Corey The Homemade Chef, Personal Chef and Caterer. I am building my own business where we focus on taste. I have learned how to use my detailed palate, and I am making great tasting foods with a focus on taste. In recent current events, food handling and cleanliness is re-surfacing as a major concern; I’m looking to close that gap in the food industry through safe food handling in my business.

With my own business, I get to create my own dishes. I am creating a balance between comfort food and healthy food. You can have both but you need more of the healthy choices. I realized I was gaining weight because of my eating habits. I started eating healthier foods and made better food choices for myself. I want to share what I have learned with other people on how to make proper food choices through great tasting food.

EO: What are some of your favorite dishes to make?
CR:
Tilapia tacos, grilled BBQ ribeye steak, BBQ roasted salmon with rice pilaf, Carribean jerk chicken with roasted sweet potatoes, rosemary baked turkey breast with seasoned zucchini & squash and stuffed chicken breasts with cheddar cheese, peppers and onions.

EO: How did Escoffier and its online culinary courses help you with your business?
CR:
The online courses showed me the professional side of the business and how a professional recipe should be written out. The courses taught me organization and how to rely on my taste buds. There’s a major difference between cooking in your home kitchen and cooking in a professional kitchen.

EO: Why would you recommend online culinary school to others pursuing a career in the industry?
CR:
The online culinary course will test how serious you are about doing anything in the food business. It’s not easy to do this course, but you have to put time and dedication into it. I enjoyed the freedom of taking the online course at my own pace. I have a very active family with 2 kids and was working full-time while taking this online course. I was still able to organize schooling around my lifestyle. The courses were definitely detail-oriented with great tips and tricks to help you along the way. The chef instructors/mentors were right on target with pertinent critical feedback to help you move on to the next level. Many thanks in particular to Chef Cesar Herrera and all of the Escoffier staff.

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EO: What’s your favorite new recipe?
CR:
Red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting and chocolate chips.

EO: What is your favorite ingredient to add to dishes?
CR:
Fresh garlic and fresh cilantro, classic but simple.

EO: What has cooking done for you?
CR:
Cooking allows me to be an artist. I use it as my form of therapy. It allows me to make people happy. It has helped me identify with the palate I have.

EO: What inspires the dishes you make?
CR:
Every time I taste something different, it gives me an idea to make a new recipe.

EO: What is the one dish you’re most famous for?
CR:
A sandwich I created called “I Love You Cheese Steak.”

EO: What do you look forward to most with your business?
CR:
I want to learn as much as possible about the food industry. I want to be able to show and teach others how to make and create great tasting food that can be healthy. I would like to provide employment opportunities for others in the culinary field.

EO: What words of advice do you have for others hoping to start a business in the culinary industry?
CR:
Stay focused and stay persistent! Ask lots of questions. Practice your craft as much as possible. The more you practice your craft, the more confident you will become. Don’t give yourself an excuse to fail.

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