Meet Desmond Reid Jr | Executive Chef

We had the good fortune of connecting with Desmond Reid Jr and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Desmond, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I think of risk taking as being a huge motivator in my life. From a young age I’ve always been competitive and liked to live life on the edge. Without risk there’s no fun or anyway to see what all you can truly accomplish when you’re put to the test to excel.

In every part of my career I’ve taken risks and it has helped me see my potential and shown me what I can do whether it’s by myself or even leading a team. Taking risks really does challenge you and puts you in a fight or flight mindset that propels you to the next level. Without taking risks you stay stagnate. To be successful and make an impact you’ve got to go against the grain and do things different. That’s what I’m all about.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am completely different than most of the chefs you may know or even the ones that you see on tv. I’m laid back love to laugh and have fun in the kitchen. It’s a stressful job and tempers do fly and people rage, but I’m doing what I love and I can’t always be mad when I get the chance to cook and make people happy with my food everyday. In the last 12 years I’ve had 9 different jobs. All of them working in different parts of the kitchen ranging from catering to, personal chef, private dining, line cooking etc. I was able to work with and attain many different skill sets while assisting various chefs all over Ohio. That’s one that I take to heart. My skill set and work is very peculiar and not something that can be duplicated unless you have been in my shoes and work with me every step of the way. My biggest goal was to learn from some of the best chefs and figure out how to combine their ideas and training with my work ethic and flare to create my own style. I wasn’t easy, but if I had to do it all over again I would do it in a heartbeat.
Through the different jobs I had there were great days, but then there were some days that really challenged me. It taught me what I didn’t know also what I needed to work on and added fuel to the fire so I could set my self apart as a chef. Early mornings and late nights were/are the norm. Working all day then coming home to practice a new technique, finding new ingredient(s) that I’ve never worked with at the store and cooking them at home was my strategy to help move me to where I wanted to be, It’s the life I’ve chosen and there’s a goal that I want to reach. I needed to put in the work to get to where I wanted to be.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We would start by going to either Alum Creek Beach or the Hoover Reservoir. Although sometimes chaotic, being by the water brings me peace. Next we would go to N. E. Chinese for lunch. It’s so hard to find a place where everything you order is good and makes you want to come back. They do it right every time! Throughout the week we would definitely go to Marcus Theaters, catch a good thriller and eat copious amounts of popcorn with cheddar jalapeño seasoning on it. To round out the week we would go to Novella Osteria on a Tuesday night for the ever changing tasting menu. It’s always so innovative and hits every note!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My parents are always the first ones I talk about when it comes to my success. I’ve watched them from he time I was young to even now, work ridiculously hard and sacrifice for the life that they wanted to give us. While it in no was was easy and some hard times did come they never let us lack they put themselves on the line for my siblings and I. Even for their future. It has paid off in so many ways. They have instilled their hard work and dedication into their children and seeing the fruits of their labor come to fruition keeps us going, knowing that one day we will also see our labor pay off.

In the culinary field it’s not easy to move up. It actually was built to be that way. You’ve got to work hard to get to the next level. Ive been working in kitchens since my sophomore year of high school (2011). Starting at Dock 580 catering company gave me the insight I needed to see that I had a long road ahead of me, but also had the right people there to help guide me along the road to be the chef that I am today.

Instagram: The_Chef Des

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/desmond-reid-jr/