An Interview With Martita Mestey
Sometimes TV personalities and influencers post all about different foods and recipes and ultimately call themselves a chef, but it takes years of sweat and tears to get here. In college, I’d have six hours to make two recipes with two people. In the real industry, you may have two hours to make six recipes for a ton of guests.
In this interview series, called “Chefs and Restaurateurs Helping To Promote Healthy Eating” we are talking to chefs and restaurateurs who are helping to promote and raise awareness about healthy eating. The purpose of the series is to amplify their message and share insights about healthy eating with our readers. As a part of this series, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Chef Diego Feliciano.
Chef Diego Feliciano is the Executive Chef at the Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena, CA, (hospitality partner to Sodexo Live!). Chef Diego was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and grew up in a middle-class family with two working parents. After graduating high school, Chef Diego began pursuing his career in food and hospitality, eventually working at distinguished venues across the world.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to ‘get to know’ you a bit. Can you share with our readers a story about what inspired you to become a restauranteur or chef?
Thank you for inviting me to this interview. After graduating high school in 2006, I pursued an A.S. in Culinary Arts from Johnson and Wales University in Miami. Upon receiving my degree, I spent the next four years in Miami pursuing my passion for food and hospitality at notable venues including the Four Seasons Hotel and BLT Steak.
Following Miami, I returned to Puerto Rico to work at prestigious restaurants in the city where I was born and raised. In 2015, I spent four years with Sodexo Live! in Manhattan, working in Sous Chef and Banquet Chef roles before embarking on a new opportunity to take over as Executive Chef at two well-known New York restaurants, Vineapple Café in Brooklyn, and then The Surf Lodge in Montauk.
I really enjoyed my time in New York working with Sodexo Live!, and was interested in exploring the West Coast. Therefore, in November 2021, I got the opportunity to move to Los Angeles to lead the culinary team at the Pasadena Convention Center.
Do you have a specific type of food that you focus on? What was it that first drew you to cooking that type of food? Can you share a story about that with us?
I am Puerto Rican born and raised and love to focus on Caribbean and Latin dishes with Spanish and Italian influences — complex dishes that stimulate the senses. My heritage and upbringing drew me to cooking this type of food.
Sodexo Live! also played a part in drawing me to this type of food that incorporates all different cultures. The company has brought me to three different cities, which has helped me discover and play with flavors from many other cultures.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that has happened to you since you started? What was the lesson or take away you took out of that story?
At Sodexo Live!, I have worked in three completely different cities — Puerto Rico, New York and Pasadena, California. When I was in New York, I was working a summer job in the Hamptons and a previous Sodexo Live! colleague called and asked, “What are you up to? Do you want to move to another location in California?” I said yes, packed my car, and drove across the country. It was fascinating to drive across the country and visit big cities and small towns along the way. At one point, I drove through a town in Wyoming that had 1,000 people.
Living in New York allows you to meet a wide range of people with diverse backgrounds. When you drive across the country and take time to see it and talk to people, you gain a new perspective.
None of us can be successful without some help along the way. Did you have mentors or cheerleaders who helped you to succeed? Can you tell us a story about their influence?
An incredibly influential figure in my life is Alexandro Reyes, director of culinary innovation at Sodexo Live!. Chef Alex and I have worked together for years — he is my friend and mentor. He saw potential in me and helped me become a chef and take on more managerial responsibilities. He also convinced me to move to California from New York and provided me with support and encouragement to take on this role at the Pasadena Convention Center.
In your experience, what is the key to creating a dish that people are crazy about?
Authenticity is the key to creating dishes that our customers are crazy about. My cooking and my food tell a story about my passion for Puerto Rico and what I loved to eat growing up.
At Sodexo Live!, we’re very passionate about what we do and what we make. Our team is driven to create the finest menus, connect with the best local producers, and ultimately create something fresh, exciting, and innovative that guests will appreciate.
Personally, what is the ‘perfect meal’ for you?
The ‘perfect meal’ for me is a personalized dish tied to my Puerto Rican heritage with a Southern California twist. It is Adobo Crusted Churrasco, Charred Marble Potatoes, Confit Tomatoes and Avocado Salsa Verde. Adobo is a traditional dry rub that is used in Puerto Rico, and located in every house in the country! It can be used with steak, fish, poultry, etc. Along with the Adobo, I like to use locally sourced foods from California, such as tomatoes and herbs.
Where does your inspiration for creating come from? Is there something that you turn to for a daily creativity boost?
Most of my inspiration comes from my upbringing in Puerto Rico and from people I have worked with throughout my career. As a leader, you have a commitment to help mentor those under you, so that they can continue to be successful in their careers, as many mentors have done for me. This is one of the main reasons why I love working at Sodexo Live! — we have a strong network of support and not just from fellow culinarians.
Nothing makes me happier than seeing a cook that I trained three or four years ago move up in their career and to be part of that person’s professional development and growth!
Regarding my daily creativity boost, I love looking up the vegetables and other ingredients that are in season. When I start seeing pictures of the foods and their colors, I get inspired.
Are you working on any new or exciting projects now? What impact do you think this will have?
Our organic garden at the Pasadena Convention Center is a new project that we have been working on for about three months. It is a way of providing our guests with fresh, garden-grown vegetables and herbs. We have cilantro, thyme, rosemary, basil, sweet peppers, mint, tarragon, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and more.
And I’m a chef, not a gardener — but I’m learning as I go and I’ve loved having the chance to build this garden from the ground up.
Ok super. Let’s now jump to the main part of our interview. You are currently leading an initiative to help promote healthy eating. Can you tell us a bit about what you and your organization are trying to change in our world today?
At Sodexo Live!, we want to encourage people to live healthy lives. We are foodies — passionate about what we do and create. This approach changed how I looked at cooking. I used to just pile food on my plate, leaving the table overly stuffed.
Now, I know that I have a responsibility as a chef to serve healthier dishes and utilize better techniques for our guests. When I cook, I try to use less butter sauce and serve dishes that are not as heavy. It’s the little things that don’t take away from the dish, but still leave the dish a little bit lighter so guests feel better.
Can you tell us the backstory about what inspired you to originally feel passionate about this cause?
I lost my mom back in 2009 to cancer, while I was still a freshman in college in Miami, and that changed my entire life. I took some time for myself after she passed before gathering the strength to keep pursuing my passion and career. During that time away, I lost track of my personal health and gained a lot of weight. When I turned 30, I said no more. I knew I had to make a change.
At 326 pounds I challenged myself and, in one year, lost around 80 pounds. All told since then, I’ve lost around 100 pounds.
To do this, I stayed away from fad diets. I just ate healthy foods, counted my calories, and exercised. Because of this, I saw first-hand the role that food choice played in my weight and knew, as a chef, I could make an impact on other people and help them even in the smallest ways.
Without saying specific names, can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was helped by your cause?
During my weight loss journey, I would frequently post about it on social media. There were a few people that commented, including one of my sous chefs from Miami. Another friend of mine lost 200 pounds and said that I was one of his inspirations to do so.
I’m far from an influencer, yet it feels incredible to know that your positive changes have also helped others create theirs.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
When the pandemic started I found myself preparing food for hospitals, government programs, etc. In total, I was preparing 1,500 meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!
Due to the large quantity of meals and staffing shortages, I knew there were improvements that could be made in the quality of food, like straying away from frozen vegetables or boxed mashed potatoes when we could be using the real thing.
To me, what you put in your body is the most important thing. If you’re in a hospital, you should be putting healthy food in your body — simply put.
I believe politicians and those in power should do more to recognize the importance of the whole and hearty foods, implementing certain standards for the quality of food. Yes, fruit is good, but I think everyone agrees that a whole fresh apple is much better than a fruit cup in syrup.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Started as a Chef or Restaurateur” and why? Please share a story or an example for each.
Sometimes TV personalities and influencers post all about different foods and recipes and ultimately call themselves a chef, but it takes years of sweat and tears to get here. In college, I’d have six hours to make two recipes with two people. In the real industry, you may have two hours to make six recipes for a ton of guests.
It’s not the most glamorous career. Certainly not as glamorous as it sometimes appears via social media. Especially when you start, it’s long hours, working holidays and making sacrifices, but still, I love what I do.
I also wish people told me how long it takes to obtain the title of chef. In a Michelin star restaurant, you can spend a year just peeling potatoes just to work your way up!
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
Either Chef Jose Andres or Chef Thomas Keller.
Jose’s philanthropic efforts are incredible. His organization did so much for Puerto Rico during the hurricane. I was in New York during the hurricane, and I cried feeling so helpless — I didn’t know anything about my family for weeks. To see what he’s done and continues to do for the country is so spectacular and inspiring.
Thomas is a world-renowned chef, who creates simple, word class cuisine. He’s not trying to impress people with gimmicks, he lets the food speak for itself.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
You can find me on Facebook and Instagram where I cook dishes, provide tips, and talk about my love of food, and you can catch me on Sodexo Live!’s Instagram from time to time.
Of course, nothing beats the in-person experience, so if you are attending an event at the Pasadena Convention Center, come say hi!
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
How Chef Diego Feliciano Of Sodexo Live! Is Helping To Promote Healthy Eating was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.