Meet Karina & Fernando Cayanan | Chefs

We had the good fortune of connecting with Karina & Fernando Cayanan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Karina & Fernando, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
We can only speak from our own experience, but I believe most Chefs would agree that work life balance is one of the most challenging things to achieve in the industry. Yes, there’s demand from your work and place of business, but what I’m really speaking to is learning how to give yourself the ‘OK’ to not work, Ironically enough, giving yourself the opportunity to unplug, to detach and not work every hour of every day can be tough. I know it sounds dramatic, but you truly have to be passionate about this line of work. It’s not easy. It’s not always glamourous and can take a lot out of you but you do it, because you love it. But sometimes, that thing that drives you to keep pushing forward, that same fuel can blur the lines a bit and you can forget to stop. Just stop. You find yourself prioritizing everything else and forget to take care of yourself. It’s almost as if you need to give yourself permission to rest and decompress. We are constantly learning how to be better at this on a daily basis and find opportunities to stop and give ourselves a break. What is an advantage for us is we are both Chefs and recognize when the other needs to slow down.

As an industry, the conversation and the recognition of the importance in work life balance has taken a bigger presence. That’s a good thing. However, whether or not you work for a company or for yourself, it starts with you.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
We are Chefs in the industry and have been for many years. Our path brought us together, our respect, love and care for one another keeps us together and our passion for what we do in the kitchen brought us Marigold.

Nothing worth having is easy-sounds cliche, we know but it’s true. Everyday brings new challenges but with that, comes opportunity. It’s a gift to have our own bakeshop in our own neighborhood no less. That’s not lost on us. We want people to feel good as they walk into our shop. That’s how we feel. Despite the long hours and headache that comes with this, that or the other, Marigold Bakeshop brings us nothing but joy and that feeling is what we want to share with our guests.

We have lots of plans for Marigold, beyond the bakeshop, and we look forward to growing that vision and sharing the experience with our guests. You’ll have to stay tuned to find out.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
First, we’d take them to Marigold Bakeshop for delicious morning pastries and great coffee (see what we did there!?), then take them to the Grove to check out the Farmer’s Market and grab a bite to eat. Drive around the city and have dinner at Mozza, then head to the Comedy Store for some laughs. There’s a shortlist of places to eat-Bavel and Girl and the Goat is on there, but for the most part, our theory is go where you can have a good conversation over some great food and share some laughs. That’s anywhere in LA as long as you’re with the right people.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Karina-
I dedicate my shoutout to my best friend Jannelly, she’s been my rock since we were kids. We were 8 & 9 years old when we met, ever since then she’s been nothing but supportive and a great role model. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for her and the Castro family, that gave me a home and a safety net in order for me to attend culinary school and pursue my dreams. I will always be grateful for their love, encouragement and support.

Fernando-
There are two Chefs that come to mind that had a very big impact on me. First was Chef Helene Kennan, who was the Executive Chef for Bon Appetit at the Getty Museums when I first started. She was extremely smart, intuitive and very tough on me but in the best possible way. Chef Helene completely changed my approach and developed my perspective in the kitchen and leadership skills. I had to unlearn a lot under her guidance and she challenged me. She was on her way up and out at the time and feel very fortunate to have been one of the last few Sous Chefs to work alongside her. There are a lot of lessons learned that I still take with me today and use in my own kitchen. She was a game changer for me.

The other Chef is someone who not only do I consider as a mentor, but a dear friend, is Chef Mayet Cristobal. She took the helm as EC for the Getty Museums and was Chef Helene’s successor and my Executive Chef for the majority of my time at the Getty. She too was tough, smart and led her team well and although it may not be what you wanted to hear, she was always honest but also very encouraging. She knew how to tap into someone’s potential. We were a group of young Sous under her care who did some great work, had fun and just got stuff done. I would say to any cooks out there just starting their journey, developing their skills as Chefs, to take the time to listen. You can work with best culinary minds out there, but it would do absolutely no good if you weren’t smart enough to listen. Be smart enough to listen.

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Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/marigold-bakeshop-los-angeles

Image Credits
Fernando & Karina Cayanan