Daily Inspiration: Meet Pilar Gaines

Today we’d like to introduce you to Pilar Gaines.

Hi Pilar, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Cooking has been exciting for me since age five. Growing up food was a major part of childhood. Both sides had their own family traditions that included signature dishes and drinks. My mom’s dad took pride in his vegetable garden on Detroit’s westside. After harvesting mixed peppers he often later used to make a hot sauce he called his “concoction”.

I enjoyed my first “sea to table” experience at a very young age as a family weekend norm in Biloxi, Mississippi. We’d go crabbing off the Gulf to catch the seafood for our homemade gumbo. I was fascinated with watching the elders shucking fresh caught king crabs for our family dinners. Being around Southern culture and cuisine, I knew that when I got older I wanted to have a lifestyle that was dedicated to making, tasting or discovering new foods. Traveling and being an adventurous eater exposed me to a variety of food and places that guided me in the direction to discovering my passion for cooking. While studying nutrition and food science in college, I would conduct healthy eating demos at local health fairs. That was where my passion for cooking allowed me to help in the community through food. I spent my collegiate summers working at the summer lunch program for the City of Detroit for several years. In 2011 at the young age of 27, I had a farm to table deli in Redford Michigan.

While visiting LA in April of 2012, I was inspired and motivated to be a part of the LA culinary culture. Determined to make the move, I diligently and aggressively looked for employment and had to make the bittersweet decision to close my much loved Deli…And say hello to her new frontier. A couple of months later and countless applications, I was on a flight to LA for my first interview. And just as it was meant to be, I got the position as Catering & Event Manager for Home Girls Café (Women division of Homeboy Industries) As new opportunities poured in, I came across a rare sushi apprenticeship program with guaranteed job placement at a mom and pop all you can eat sushi chain in the valley on “sushi row”. After three months of intense hands on training five days a week working 10 hr days of hard labor perfecting sushi rice, breaking down whole fish, and cutting vegetables sometimes cutting fingertips and knuckles in the process. My classic training prepared me for my next endeavor as a sushi chef at the infamous Benihana in Santa Monica. After a short six months as a closing sushi chef my talents landed me a position at Wolfgang Puck Catering as a sushi chef and grab n go lead. By then, my dreams were beginning to fall into place.

For five years, I catered A-list award shows and events such as The Emmy’s, The Oscars, Governors Ball, NFL Network, SONY studios to name a few as part of Wolfgang Puck’s elite catering team. On November 8, 2016 I became a mother of a baby girl Cali Stella and that’s when my goals got deeper. In 2017 while on maternity leave, I started to strategize how to accomplish my goal of becoming a private chef. I decided to take my talents to a domestic staffing agency to get the connections I needed to pursue my goal. After three intense interviews (2 with pop stars) I landed a full-time private chef position with a major music industry executive family. For almost two years up until COVID-19, I was cooking full time for some of the music industries top stars in connection with my client. This pandemic surprisingly gave me the time to focus on branding, the opportunity to manifest my dream of being a food stylist, and running my own catering prep kitchen in Glendale called @soulfusionish.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Being a black woman in the culinary industry is already an obstacle to begin with. I was blessed to have mentors, but I had to create my own lane due to the lack of diversity in the foodservice industry as a whole. I’ve never seen someone doing what I’ve done that looked like me, so in a sense I felt like I have to pave the way for myself so that young black individuals chefs who love the art of cooking can have as an example to relate to outside of Soul food. Being a woman sushi chef is already rare and to add the fact that I’m a black woman, I felt like I always had to prove myself. I’ve even been told “I wasn’t good enough to be the only woman on a male head sushi chefs line. Oftentimes I thought of myself as my own competition and that I had to become the person that I needed growing up as a young chef. Like most minority women in the food industry, I had to overcome the gender inequality from unfair wages and discrimination. I often worked harder, longer hours and was given more responsibility than my male counterparts but making less was a harsh reality.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Sushi is my specialty but I’m not limited to any particular cuisine. I’m most proud of my ability to create my own lane and be confident in being different. My well-rounded culinary experience sets me apart from any other person in this industry. I’ve catered the most intimate VIP events, to the biggest A list award shows, and in home client Sunday dinners. Another proud moment was when I decided to pursue becoming a private chef and with the help of an agent, I ended up cooking for a very high-profile music executive as my first full-time client. I’m proud of the Top Notch Music and entertainment industry clientele I’ve been able to cook for in such a short amount of time all from referrals.

Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
My faith in God has definitely helped me stay focused on my path. As a believer, my tenacity and strength made overcoming my obstacles easier. Some good books that I highly recommend reading would be “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young. I’ve been reading this devotion “Jesus Calling daily for ten years and it’s a spiritual book that provides daily inspiration and bible scripture that always feels new and resonates with me at any moment. As for podcasts, I listen to Sarah Jakes “Women Evolve” and her commentary makes me feel victorious. I also loved Dj Khaled’s book “The Keys” I love to hear people’s success stories. He highlights people on his journey to success.

Contact Info:

• Email: Soulfushionish@gmail.com
• Website: www.chefPilarOmega.com and www.Soulfusionish.com
• Instagram: @chefPilarOmega and @soulfusionish
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/chefPilarOmega