Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Vazquez.
Hi Ashley, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My name is Chef Ashley, I am 35 years old. I am the executive chef of one of the Local Yacht clubs. I’ve been married to the love of my life for 14 years. We have three children and three French bulldogs!
I began my culinary career at the age of 21 as a food blogger. I would visit different places and write about my experiences and how much or little I enjoyed the food.
When I was 23, my husband started encouraging me to start cooking myself. And eventually, it warped into going to culinary school!
The culinary school I went to was Escoffier and I learned so much there!
I am classically trained in French cuisine and have even trained in France for a brief time.
The culinary industry is a male-dominated industry and it wasn’t the easiest task to move up, but I pushed myself to work harder than everyone else and eventually, I began climbing the ladder.
My first executive chef position, after 6 years of becoming a chef, was a resort for people with disabilities and I adored it there.
A few years later at the age of 29, I opened two pretty successful restaurants. A fine dining French Restaurant and a brick oven pizzeria.
During the beginning stages of Covid-19, I moved to the Houston area, closed my restaurants and converted them into a catering company. Which is doing very well.
During the conversion of my restaurants into a catering company, I was approached to become the new Executive Chef of one of the Yacht clubs here in the Houston area.
Now at 35, I can say It has been a whirlwind for sure, but I thoroughly enjoy every minute of it.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Some of the main struggles in this industry for myself, as a woman, has definitely been trying to make it in a “man’s world”.
The culinary industry is very much a male-dominated industry and it was very hard trying to break through and shine.
I had many bumps along the way and had to learn to stand up and speak louder and work hard than all the men who typically tried to write me off.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a professional culinary chef. I specialize in French cuisine!
I am most proud of my determination to prove everyone who said I couldn’t do it or make it, wrong! I worked hard to be able to look at myself in the mirror and be proud of the woman looking back at me.
I think what sets me apart is my personality and belief system. I’m a little nutty at times and love to have fun! I am also compassionate and caring. I have a strong belief in God and that is the main driving factor in how I genuinely care for others.
I worked under a lot of chefs who took their jobs too seriously and it took a major toll on them and their staff. I keep it light in my kitchen with lots of music and jokes.
I want my staff to feel happy, comfortable, appreciated, welcomed and safe to come to work and not dread that Chef is going to berate them all the time. That’s no way to live.
Another thing I am proud of is my ability to train young chefs. I love helping mold the future and then see them bloom into amazing chefs in their own right. I love seeing the chefs I’ve trained thrive!
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I love doing collaborations with other chefs! Doing demos and chef workshops is such a great way to get to know other chefs and just find a sense of community.
To reach me definitely follow my Instagram @chef__ashley. I use that for business propositions, cooking classes, catering or just a way to say hi to me!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.facebook.com/BPpizzeria
- Instagram: Chef__Ashley
