

These 5 Male Chefs Are Sharing Dishes Guaranteed To Elevate Our Kitchen Game
OK, so if you're like me, you have been taking full advantage of this never-ending quarantine, by exploring new hobbies, skills, and items to add to the menu. It's gotten so bad, that I find myself up on Al Gore's internet at 5:00am, aimlessly seeking new and adventurous ways to take advantage of our newfound free time—with experimenting with new recipes quickly becoming a fave.
And listen, I know we all have our favorite fabulous ladies (Divas Can Cook, Stove Top Kisses, Chef Ahki, Chef Danie, Chef Bae etc.) bookmarked as our current go-to recipe guides, but this time, I decided it was time to highlight the fellas—who are also quite literally making major moves in all facets of the plate.
So, ladies, grab your wine glass, kick your feet up, and enjoy the smells. The fellas are cooking tonight.
Chef Lamar J. Moore | Three-Cheese Mac & Cheese
Courtesy of Chef Lamar J. Moore
Career Highlight:
"I've had so many but as of recent, my career highlight would be winning the Food Network's Vegas Chef Prizefight!"
Length of Time as a Chef:
"20 years."
Favorite Dish to Cook:
"An elevated Three-Cheese Mac & Cheese."
Courtesy of Chef Lamar J. Moore
Encouraged to cook by his family, Chef Lamar J. Moore is a veteran that knows his way around Southern and French Cuisines. "My grandmother was an excellent cook, my Mom cooked all the time for us. I saw how it brought all of us to the table, as one, [for] one moment each day, no interruptions."
And from there, his influence would blossom into a lengthy list of accolades, including winning the executive chef's job at the upcoming Bugsy & Meyer's Steakhouse inside the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. But don't expect his newfound fame to get to his head. As for what's next for Chef Lamar, "[I plan to] continue to teach, mentor, support our restaurants, and peers, and most of all, enrich our communities."
You can also expect to see Chef Lamar on more television shows, opening restaurants, and releasing a cookbook.
Yessss, king!
To keep up with Chef Lamar's journey, you can follow him on Instagram @chef_ljm.
Chef Antonio J. Reed | Soy Ginger Lamb Chops
Courtesy of Chef Antonio J. Reed
Career Highlight:
"The most memorable moment in my career was the grand opening of my food truck, Fat Tony's. The support that I received from my friends and the community was nothing short of amazing!"
Length of Time as a Chef:
"9 years."
Favorite Dish to Cook:
"Soy Ginger Lamb Chops."
Courtesy of Chef Antonio J. Reed
Chef Antonio Reed, affectionately known as Chef Tone, specializes in Southern Comfort food and dishes that he has coined as Alabama Cajun. "My signature style is a combination of the boisterous flavors of the Caribbean, the heat of Cajun cuisine, with an undeniably southern flare."
As a chef with a budding 9+ year career that originally began as a need for employment, his passion quickly grew into something more meaningful. In a short time, Chef Antonio has managed to build a fanbase of supporters that includes the southern region's most impressive clientele. "Once I noticed a growing joy for creating delicious food, I realized that my passion was in making others happy through food. That's all it took for cooking to become my first love and my career took off."
Chef Antonio plans to release a much anticipated cookbook, which will be available for pre-order soon.
*has finger READY to order*
Follow or contact him on Instagram @Tone_Appetit to get a taste!
Chef Teren Green | Lobster Fettuccine w/ Sauteed Asparagus
Courtesy of Chef Teren Green
Career Highlight:
"The highlight of my career would 100% be my trip to France with the 2019 U.S. Women's Soccer Team to serve as Executive Chef during their World Cup win. Greatest two months of my life."
Length of Time as a Chef:
"10 years."
Favorite Dish to Cook:
'Any pasta dish. In this case, Lobster Fettuccine w/ Sauteed Asparagus."
Courtesy of Chef Teren Green
Chef Teren is the culinary powerhouse that you've never heard of, and his resume, which expands over 10 years, is quite literally—and impressively—one of a kind. Specializing in the sports and entertainment industry, Chef T (as Megan Rapinoe and Derrick Rose call him), is a day chef for the Detroit Pistons by day, and a highly sought-after chef by, well...any other time.
"My style is modern, I would say. I never try to place myself in a box, or do things a technical way. I respect the art but I'm OK with changing things up to fit the time."
Chef Teren plans to purchase a space to complete production of a few projects he has planned, as well as maintaining his impact of "giving back and teaching others in a way that will be unmatched."
Hashtag, MOVES.
You can also catch him on Instagram at @chef_teren.
Chef Darren Robinson | Flambéd Fresh Crack Pepper Steak
Courtesy of Chef Darren Robinson
Career Highlight:
"My career highlight came in the form of my biggest challenge: my first travel gig. I catered over 200 people for a three-series event: happy hour, dinner, and afterparty. It was challenging but rewarding. A great learning experience."
Length of Time as a Chef:
"6 years."
Favorite Dish to Cook:
"Flambé Fresh Crack Pepper Steak."
Courtesy of Chef Darren Robinson
Chef Darren may be a newbie to the game, but he is making his mark through creating his own waves in the industry. This versatile, all-around chef isn't looking for the flashing lights, but instead moments that make his clients happy, no matter who they are. "I grew up watching the food channel and watched both of my grandmothers in the kitchen. I actually didn't take culinary arts seriously until my late 20's, which is when I decided to pursue it professionally. But now, I truly enjoy when people are impacted by my food. I enjoy making people smile."
Doesn't matter if it's homemade pasta, baking, or meal prepping, Chef Darren does it all.
You can find him making bomb meals—whether one plate or five hundred—and continuing to build his business one mouth at a time.
Show out, king!
To follow his journey, you can find him on Instagram @d_rob501.
Patrick A Glanville | Jerk Chocolate Crunch Bars
Courtesy of Patrick A Glanville
Career Highlight:
"Becoming a Certified Belgium Chocolatier by training in Belgium with the world's largest Chocolate Academy, Callebaut. We've also been featured and/or mentioned in many news outlets like Black Enterprise, Good Day New York, ABC, CTStyle, Newsday, News8th wnht.com, Shoppeblackus, and many more."
Length of Time as a chef Chocolatier:
"Since the age of 10, but technically 4 years."
Favorite Dish to Cook:
"My grandmother's Jerk Chocolate Crunch Bars."
Courtesy of Patrick A Glanville
So, Patrick may not be a classic chef (at least in this instance), but he is certainly cooking up something worth discussing. His specialty is confectionery chocolates, as the founder of 3Some Chocolates. He is highly trained in the art of delicacies and alongside his wife, trailblazing a lane not often driven by...us.
"From a young age, my grandmother taught me how to temper and create a variety of chocolate treats with her special recipe, which is now our trademark recipe, Jerk Chocolate."
Although Patrick cannot quite disclose the full recipe for his jerk chocolate (it's a well-guarded, patented family recipe), he welcomes us to fall in love with them just as he did.
Add his signature jerk chocolate on top of your favorites cupcake recipe, bomb chocolate liquor cocktail, or pair with an amazing wine—and sit back as you impress your friends with this conversation starter.
Thank you, granny!
You may also find Chef Patrick on Instagram @patrickanvil.
Featured image via Patrick A Glanville
Charmin Michelle is a southern native and creative spirit who works as a content marketer and events manager in Chicago. She enjoys traveling, #SummertimeChi, and the journey of mastering womanhood. Connect with her on Instagram @charminmichelle.
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Release Stress & Restore Harmony In Your Body With Shaking Meditation
When we reflect on our own path as women in light of the women who came before us, it’s easy to see that the loads we’ve carried haven’t always been the lightest. From everyday stresses to generational trauma with roots that are difficult to trace, one must ask where all that weight goes if we never release it.
The body holds the score for all the anxieties, worries, and unease that we’ve endured over time. Family and society often tell us to quiet our emotions, maintain a brave face, and keep our emotions bottled up within. But as we know, anything with too much pressure will eventually burst.
And while we are steadily discovering self-care methods like meditation to shed this emotional baggage, it may take a little more than sitting still in the quiet of our mind to let go of our deep-rooted tension. Fortunately, mindful movement could be an unexpected way for you to let go of worry and anxiety while building emotional resiliency, and such is the case with shaking meditation.
What Is Shaking Meditation?
Shaking meditation is a form of tension and trauma-releasing exercises or TRE that “assists the body in releasing deep muscular patterns of stress, tension, and trauma.” This series of exercises of muscular shaking and vibrating activates a natural reflex mechanism that releases muscular tension, thus calming down the nervous system and encouraging your body to return back to a state of balance.
“Shaking meditation can be powerful because it moves your body — and in Eastern medicine, we say that moves your chi,” says Jenelle Kim, DACM, L.Ac, a ninth-generation doctor of acupuncture and Chinese medicine and author of Myung Sung: The Korean Art of Living Meditation.
According to Dr. Kim, understanding chi helps us understand our bodies and how we're feeling mentally, physically, and spiritually. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), chi is known to represent your life force; it is the energy that flows through you and everything, and in many cultures, plays an essential role in our health.
“We have chi that moves in our blood and throughout our entire body; connecting our organ systems, muscles, and joints,” she tells xoNecole. “It allows everything to function and to be nourished. We know blood travels throughout our body through our circulatory system, but chi also travels through our body — much in the same way — through the meridian system. If you picture chi as vital energy, it moves the blood.”
It’s important for our body’s chi to stay in flow. When we go about our daily life with stress, trauma, or even mental injuries, our energy becomes stagnant. But various movement practices like Qigong or shaking meditation encourage your chi to circulate through your body which activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which “is in charge of telling our brain and body to calm down, relax, ultimately, let go,” Dr. Kim says.
As Black women, there are times in life when it feels like we bear the weight of the world on our shoulders, with few spaces to go when we need to lighten the load. But as Dr. Kim explains, because women are “naturally yin beings,” we take on more because we can handle more. “According to the energies of nature that have been passed down for thousands of years, women are more complex. And what that almost always means is that we can think a lot more.” And while that speaks to the resiliency of our being, it can have a negative effect on our bodies when we store more than we release.
“If we don't have ways of releasing this, it will ultimately affect our lives physically, mentally, and spiritually. Then it passes on to our children, and that's where we get generational trauma,” she says.
Although shaking meditation may be a new and unfamiliar practice, it’s one that could prove to be beneficial to those who have experienced trauma on an individual and communal level. The movements are simple to follow and accessible, and in a matter of minutes, you’ll feel more calm and relaxed, while relieving any anxiety, frustration, and tension inside of you.
So if you’re ready to restore harmony within your body, here are the steps to perform shaking meditation on your own.
How To Incorporate Shaking Meditation Into Your Daily Routine:
Step 1: “Stand with your feet hip-width apart. You can do this while sitting or standing — depending on your comfort level. Make sure all of your joints are soft, so nothing's locked.
Step 2: “Begin raising onto your tiptoes and falling back onto your heels. Not so hard to where you're shocking your spine, but enough to just kind of wake up your body. Repeat three to five times, dropping down onto your heels.”
Step 3: “Next, start with your hands first and shake them. There’s no right or wrong way to do this. Shake them and go up to your arms, to your elbows, and then up to your shoulders. Now your whole arms should be moving.”
Step 4: “Then you can start your legs, repeating the same shaking movement. You then move your feet moving, go up through your core, and then shake everything out through your head.”
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Featured image by Wavebreakmedia/Getty Images