At 16, I entered the workforce for the first time. The job: Fresh Kitchen in Lake Mary, Florida. The fresh build-a-bowl concept eatery with choices of bases, veggies, proteins, and add-ons was filled with kale-themed merchandise and eager customers. Among the many line-servers and chefs employed at Fresh Kitchen, one had the ability to always brighten mine and everyone else’s day with his infectious presence and delicious food.
Sevarrest Allen, 37, showed me the ropes of the kitchen, down to one day allowing me the honor of hand-crafting a baked almond chicken nugget which was then served in the next batch. Every time I snuck away from the madness of the front and slipped into the kitchen, Sevarrest and I would chat about everything from school advice to life experience. Coming to work as one of the youngest members of the team, Sevarrest made me feel confident in my abilities to work my way up and develop my sense of self as a young, female employee.
Today, I am still inspired by Sevarrest’s kindness and work ethic and felt an interview in honor of Black History month was a must. He willingly agreed to an interview via phone last week, and I was able to get the details on his latest entrepreneurial experiences and hopes for the future of his brand, “Kitchen Savior.”
Q: When did you know you wanted to be a chef?
A: I probably didn’t know I wanted to be one until I was already doing it.
I had a corporate job, working for Sears, which was bought out in 2009 or 2010. At that point, my girlfriend suggested culinary school and told me I could legitimately make some noise; I could do something. I realized I had to stick with it, commit to it, and that was that. We got married in April 2011, and I started culinary school the following July. My first job was at Disney in January which was when I realized, “Cool, I could do this.”
Q: What is your favorite dish you’ve ever made?
A: Cooking in general is my thing. It doesn’t matter what it is. I guess you could say my favorite food is beef short ribs. It’s so versatile; you can do anything with it. Supposedly, my crab cakes are considered a signature dish of mine.
Q: What makes cooking so special for you?
A: A lot of people stress out about cooking or putting together a meal, but for me it’s calming; it’s relaxing. I find great pleasure in producing a meal for a group of people. For me, it’s like art. The plate is the canvas, and the food is your paint. The way the sauce may drip off one side or how the plate is arranged, in my mind I’m trying to create a painting. When I season food and I serve it, I know the order I want the guest to taste it in.
Q: What was a difficult experience you’ve had in your career?
A: The most difficult part was in the very beginning. I took a significant pay cut to join the industry. You really do start at the bottom. I was newly married, starting a new career, so that was pretty hard to juggle. I do my very best to see the good in all experiences and make sure I learn from them.
Q: Your notable client list includes Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, and the Orlando Magic. What can you share about one of these experiences?
A: Being able to join the Rolling Stone’s Zip Code Tour in 2015 was by far the coolest experience. It was only supposed to be for one day. But there ended up being a change in team, and I went on tour with them. Staying in the same hotels I was getting the red carpet treatment, treated like I was a big deal.
Q: What is the most rewarding part of what you do?
A: There’s nothing like making something for someone and them expressing how much they like it. You know when you’re a little kid and someone tells you they’re proud of you or they like something you did? I still get that little kid kind of heart palpitation when someone says how much they like my food. The affirmation is everything.
Q: What is Kitchen Savior?
A: From my years of quality experience in different kitchens, I’ve taken that experience and created a brand of my own. The logo symbolizes a cross. As a full-fledged Christian man, religion is a big part of who I am. I try to be the light in every dark room I go into, sneak a little Jesus into every opportunity if I can. I have a hard sense of perfectionism and will continue to work hard to pick up more opportunities.
Q: What is your hope for the future of Kitchen Savior?
A: There are quite a few things going on right now. I was recently a featured guest on News 6’s “Florida Foodie,” and I am teaching cooking classes to a group of middle schoolers. For the longest time, I was trying to stay lowkey. But now there’s a website being built, and the hope is for me to eventually be a self-sufficient entrepreneur. My dream is to open a breakfast food truck devoted solely to biscuits. It’s also a goal to be a restaurant consultant.
When Sevarrest’s children watch Master Chef Jr., they say “Dad, do you know how to do this?”
Follow Sevarrest on Instagram @kitchen_savior
