Meet Desmond Washington | Chef

We had the good fortune of connecting with Desmond Washington and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Desmond, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
I always been a risk taker in life, even when I was very young. Once you realize life is about what you put into it and never take a day for granted, Then you wouldn’t actually see it as risk. You will see it as a opportunity. I do what I love everyday 80 percent of America can’t say that so taking risk in life have contributed tremendously.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My culinary expression is the journey of my life and also my ancestors and their journeys as well. I try to imagine my grandma Selma my fathers mom making collard greens that she went and picked from her neighbor garden and while picking the greens she talk crap about ms. Johnson from church. My grandma was 60 years old and use to have a little olive green boat, and she use to take me fishing very often and my uncle Johnny use to butcher the fish. They had know culinary training know YouTube videos just all feel.

I grew up with just single aunties who had it tough their whole life coming from the Bay Area the hunters point area and their mom being single raising 4 girls she was tough on them and one day she decided to move to Arkansas, pine bluff, so she packed up my mom and her sisters and now a new beginning. My mom met my father who died from cancer when I was just a few months left her with 4 kids and my mom was a stay at home wife. My mother use to take me to all her jobs and hide, the main job I remember the most is this really hot cleaners she worked at I seen my mom work her but off as a kid so that showed me how to be gangster professionally and bust my butt no matter what I do.

I overcame prison/jail, I was convicted for a crime I did not do and while I was in jail I was also in jail with the person who actually did it and he told me he let them know I had nothing to do with it. The jail was so packed I thought I was going to sleep on the floor but he made some one get out there bunk and gave it to me I never been to jail so I just thought this how it go. This experience honestly made me go harder on life and how to get a little dirty because life/freedom can be taken away so easily. I still graduated college and I only had 3 days to study for finals..

You have to be tough in the kitchen no days off I haven’t seen my family in a year and a half it’s almost like I been under a rock I just got my social media back after being off for 3 years. The culinary life we make you feel so behind in life and because everyday is a challenge and once you be in the game for a while it make you stay ready and it will transition in your personal life as well

I know I’m a little everywhere I hope you guys can see the passion and see where I’m coming from.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We will go downtown Phoenix and bar hop I haven’t been here long I don’t even know ten spots to eat I cook at home.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Chef Marz, and pretty penny, and in taste we trust, poor bastards.

CDC Chef gossett

Executive chef Carroll

These are the restaurants and people that have seen parts of my growth in the culinary industry.

Instagram: Foolinaroundkitchen

Facebook: Desmond Washington