Celebrity chef Chris Santos works really hard. He's a well-known television personality,
an entrepreneur, an owner of a music label, and more.
When it comes to cooking, his advice for other chefs is simple:
passion is crucial if you want to survive in the industry.
He talked to Crush New York in an interview about the profession, saying,
"It's a grueling profession with hard work hours,
time away from loved ones, and working on holidays and until late at night."
According to Food Network, Chris Santos was just 13 years old when he first entered the
restaurant industry, holding down a part-time gig as a dishwasher in Bristol, Rhode Island.
For Santos, watching the confident, talented chefs working around him was a game-changer
and he thought to himself that he'd like to be a chef someday.
Eventually, after studying the culinary arts at Johnson & Wales University, Santos worked
in different parts of the world to get more comfortable with cooking different cuisines.
He added that once he was sure about his career choice,
he gave it his all and never really slowed down.
"There was a rush, and an adrenaline thing that I had never experienced before
in a busy kitchen on a Saturday night and I was just hooked."
While Chris Santos may have received formal training,
he doesn't discount the fact that it took him a lot of effort to master cooking.
He got candid in a conversation with Inked Magazine and said that
it's a great idea to work under talented chefs at the beginning of your career.
Santos revealed that he didn't have anyone to look up to, saying,,
"After culinary school, I basically stepped out into the world and got my first executive chef
position, which I was completely ill equipped for. I had no idea what I was doing, so I
learned on the job. That's what I mean by being self-taught, I never had a true chef mentor."
He also believes that traveling the world and really diving into
other cuisines has made him appreciate food like never before, telling Inked Magazine,
"It was eye opening, whether it was walking down a street in France with a
baguette or having an ahead-of-its-time molecular gastronomy dinner in Spain."
He added that there are good and bad things about being a professional chef.
While it's difficult to handle long hours and juggle other responsibilities, the industry
also gives you a chance to bump into like-minded individuals and form meaningful relationships.
Santos highly values the simple experience of sitting down for a meal with others. He
told Authority Magazine that family style eating is very important to him, saying:
"The concept of food bringing us together has shaped
a lot of what I do; it's the universal language."
Unfortunately, his busy life can sometimes get in the way.
Santos told Inked Magazine in 2019 that with his numerous responsibilities as an entrepreneur,
it's difficult to simply cook food and do what he loves to do,
which is why he looks forward to cooking for others whenever he gets a chance. He shared,
"My cooking time becomes less and less every year, but the holidays bring my family and my
fiancé's family together. I go to Kansas and cook this big, lavish dinner for 20 people.
Everyone gets involved and that's my favorite time of the year."
Chris Santos isn't just passionate about food; he's also a huge fan of music.
He told Authority Magazine that he's been into music for a really long time, saying:
"I love rock music and at 14 years old, I wanted to be a rock star drummer one
day so I started working to save money for a car and a drum set."
It took some time, but Santos made his dream come true in 2016 when he
announced his record label, Blacklight Media, with co-founder, Brian Slagel.
One of his goals was to help underrated musicians get noticed. He told Authority Magazine:
"This is going to sound like it's not organic and true or it's going to sound stupid,
but I'm not really into this to make money... I'm really more into it to
give bands that might not otherwise have the opportunity to be heard, a chance to be heard."
Chris Santos also revealed that he's always wanted to build a boxing gym.
He's such a massive fan that he collects vintage boxing magazines and
has a painting of Muhammad Ali inside his home. Santos shared with Observer,
"My grandfather was a pro fighter and I kind of missed my calling because I didn't start training
until my 20s. A lot of my friends are world champion boxers and one of my investors is, too."
Santos squeezes in a boxing session into his schedule whenever he can. He told Furthermore,
"I've never been the guy who can get on a treadmill and run
or lift weights. I've been training as a fighter diligently for 14 years.
To me boxing is very much like meditation — when I do it, I don't worry about anything else."
But boxing hasn't always been easy on him:
Santos said that he's been seriously injured several times. He mentioned that he's dealt
with broken bones, a hairline fracture, broken ribs, and more. He jokingly added,
"I'm still going to keep the same routine, but you've got to be smart.
I can't be doing the Food Network with a black eye!"
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