Meet Stephan Durand | Private Chef & Culinary Consultant

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

Hi Stephan, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
The most important is that I wanted and needed to be independent, but most of all i felt that working for a paycheck did not give me the ability and the freedom to do certain things.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have been a professional Chef for a little over 20 years, however started my own company in the last 10 years. I have found success in all of things i started by understanding a very simple formula, always align yourself with great people specially those you can learn from. The road to success is never done alone, its takes those who believe in you and also those who are willing to take a chance with you. Easy? Noooo,not even close. Nothing worth having comes easy. It takes hard work and perseverance. It takes dedication to your craft and a true belief in yourself. Overcoming the challenges for again, I understood that the road less travel is never the easiest, but most of all, align yourself with great people. Some of the greatest lessons ive learned, is that you never stop learning. Humble yourself always and be grateful. Know that you don’t know everything. I continue to strive for excellence everyday, I put a lot of passion into everything I do and I love sharing my knowledge and helping others achieve their own goals. My brand is me, so I always want to share the true me.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If this visit was in Haiti, there is a ton of places that I would want to take them. Every year during my Food and Wine Festival, I get to host a number of chefs coming from all over, many of them of Haitian descent but have not the country in over 20 years. I usually have a route set for them, places I want to take them to get the real experience of the country. We start with one of my favorite restaurants Quartier Latin, then we head to the mountains for a little excursion and eat some street food. On a Sunday afternoon we would head to my friends restaurant Le Vert D’or for some innovative grilled dishes. During the week we would make a visit to the Haitian Pantheon where the heroes of Haiti’s independence are burried. Then we head to ‘observatoroire to get a glimpse of the city from above and. Also to buy some Haitian Art. Then of course, you cannot come to. Haiti without a visit to Cap Haitian – the city of Haiti’s Independence where the battle for freeedom took place. You have to make a visit to La Citadelle, the largest man made fort in the Caribbean and the Palais Sans Soucis, build by King Henry Christophe, his own version of the palace of Versaille.

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?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to all of my colleagues in the industry who are living the hustle everyday but especially to the culinary members of the Haitian Culinary Alliance

Website: www.ChefStephan.net
Instagram: HaitianChef
Linkedin: ChefStephanDurand
Twitter: HaitianChef
Facebook: ChefStephan.Haiti
Youtube: ChefStephanBerrouetDurand