Marcel’s Monthly Chef’s Table – Selected Chefs Are Dishing Up Some Bites For Your Brain
In this seventh edition we are going to meet Joey Sergentakis from the USA. He has an amazing story to share with us.
Let’s dig right into it and see what Joey has to say:
Joey, how did you start?
I was pretty much born into hospitality … It’s a typical chef story. My father was a chef and my mother was a waitress when they met. My father (from Greece) moved to America when he was 18 years old. He and his parents opened a restaurant in Brooklyn, NY. Later he and my mother met, fell in love and got married. My mother (American Italian) was also from a family in F&B. Her father owned a small butcher shop in Brooklyn, NY. Everyone in my family was in hospitality and naturally at a young age I was in the mix as well. By the time I was 16 years old I was in a kitchen!
What made you decide to become an E xpat?
After working at a few prestigious restaurants in NYC I wanted the European experience. I had a close relationship with Chef Gray Kunz of Cafe Gray in the Time Warner Building NYC. He helped me to set up a stage with Philippe Rochat in Crissier, Switzerland. My plan was to spend three months there then head back home to the USA.
In 2009 during my tenure in Switzerland I received a phone call from Chef Gray Kunz and was offered the Executive Sous Chef position in Hong Kong with him at Cafe Gray Deluxe in The Upper House Hotel. The restaurant opening was delayed a bit so instead of flying to Hong Kong directly I called a buddy of mine Wilfred Hocquet who was at the time the Executive Chef at La Bastide de Moustier, an Alain Ducasse restaurant located in the heart of Provence, France. Wilfred and I had previously worked together at Restaurant Daniel in NYC. I spent about two months there before I went to Hong Kong and joined Chef Gray.
My intention was never to become an expat — it was just to gain experience. I became addicted to learning about food in different areas of the world, different cultures, different ingredients, etc.
Being an Expat, what is it like?
It has been an amazing experience. I have learned so much about the world that I would have never understood had I not done this. The obvious disadvantage about being an expat and traveling around the world as much and as long as I have is that I do not get to see my mother, father, brother and the rest of my family who reside in the USA. That is extremely difficult at times. That being said, I did start my own family here. My wife is from Indonesia and we have two beautiful children, Joseph and Jamelia! My wife and two children are, by far, the best things that have ever happened in my life.
Any other advice for the youngsters, or others?
I would advise traveling, even if it’s for a short period of time. I don’t think it is 100% necessary that you need to spend as long a time outside of your current country as I have, but a year or two I feel will change the way you think.
As a person and as a chef it is extremely beneficial! My plan was to stay at a 3-Star Michelin restaurant for three months. Nine years later I am still an expat — not planned — and not heading back home yet!
What is it you ’d like others to know about you?
I think that my humble approach toward learning and cooking is what drove me to stay here in Asia as long as I have. I have worked many times for free in small kitchens in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Shanghai, and so on, all in attempt to improve my craft.
How can your story inspire others?
I have had a unique experience and due to my story I have a unique style of cooking. I’ve worked in NYC, Switzerland, France, Hong Kong and now Singapore. I have done stints in restaurants in Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, China and Indonesia. Due to this, the way I cook is very diverse. I submerged myself in every environment I was in, and you can see this in my food, on my menu and in how I run the kitchen. At this point in my career there are not many people that have such a diverse understanding of Asian and European Cuisine.
Thanks for reading this post!
Photo by Porapak Apichodilok from Pexels
Do you have a unique style of cooking or do you not cook at all?
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Best wishes,
Marcel
