Today we’d like to introduce you to Adrian Perez.
Hi Adrian, 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?
I grew up in a small town in South Texas called Beeville. My parents ran a Tex- Mex restaurant for a solid 30 years. Needless to say I was raised in a service to others environment. Most people assume I spent a lot of time in the kitchen, but there was no AC in those kitchens back in the day. You’d better believe I was working every job on the front end from busboy, waiter, cashier, to host. I was about 20 years old when my dad sold the restaurant, and I got my first job outside of the family business, at HEB. I took on responsibilities beyond my position and job description there and went from slicing meat in the deli to becoming a manager of the HEB Cooking Connection, a kiosk where chefs taught customers how to cook and sold high-end gourmet foods. I transferred all over Texas with H-E-B ending up in Corpus Christi where I attended culinary school. One night I was out with friends at a downtown nightclub for a drag show. The host and emcee didn’t show up that evening so I boldly walked up to the owner and offered to emcee the show myself. Since I spoke on a microphone every day at HEB I felt comfortable. Little did I know the owners of the club also owned the local hip-hop station and the show was broadcast live over the radio. I was now a a chef &manager from 9 to 5 at a grocery store, clocking out on my lunch break to cut commercials at the radio station, and working till 4 AM broadcasting live on the radio from the nightclub. Life was a bit full to say the least. At least I thought it was and then HEB asked me to do a live cooking segment on Channel 3 news’s. That was the beginning of my career as a culinary contributor and TV chef. Flash forward 11 years later still with HEB, now in Houston. I decided to start my own catering and meal prep company, way before everybody and their mamas was doing meal prep everyone. I started a little business called Complete Eats. I had collected all of the things that society tells you to collect in order to be happy and successful. I had a great job, bonuses, benefits, a partner, a townhome & two dogs. I was also burning the candle at both ends, working a full-time job as a manager, TV Chef, and a budding business owner. That’s when life started to take a strange turn. I was asked to do a cooking segment for an upcoming new show called Houston Life on KPRC Channel 2.. I was on the set when they were still hammering in the nails, before it even started. When it aired HEB saw it, of course, and told me I had to make a choice because it was a conflict of interest. Which I knew, but I wasn’t going to say no to the opportunity. So I gave my two weeks notice to HEB and left an 11 year long stretch of safety, security, and my safe place. Things were off to a steady start when I received a phone call from the Food Network inviting me to compete on Cooks VS Cons. I thought things were going to start really happening for me. Although they would, first, they had to fall apart. I remember the day I was dumped, My sous chef was picking me up and my suitcases were packed by the front door. My life was unrecognizable from one day to the next. I had five dollars in my bank account and a business I was trying to get off the ground. I was also now living with a hoarder. Like the ones you see on TV, who also had five dogs living in the house. A drastic change such as that will traumatize you, coupled with the stress of your first year running a business, sprinkled with a break up on top of it. Let me just say, gentlemen, mental and emotional abuse is a real thing and we often neglect it because we’re supposed to be “”men”. I was a star employee for 11 years and all of a sudden, failing every day and everything dealing with personal issues, and an unrecognizable life. My mental health is at an all-time low. My work was suffering on TV. Wasn’t sleeping, eating, and working myself to the bone. I decided just to live in and out of my jeep, sleep in my commercial kitchen that I rented, on a cot in the break area. I worked overnight so no one would know. I literally spent all of my time at work so I figured I might as well sleep there too. So a couple of hours sleep here and there, and I pushed forward. It was at my lowest point when I was ready to quit, feeling defeated and let down by life in general, that I received a referral for my exceptional customer service. I was referred by a client to work as a private chef for a residence by the name of Bush. The next day, I was standing in the kitchen of President George Bush Senior and Mrs. Barbara Bush. I was filling in for their Private chef who was out on the quadruple bypass, unfortunately. At the end of my first day, I walked out to my jeep sat in the drivers seat, and cried As I was overcome by such gratitude and the deepest feeling of honor. I didn’t know emotions could run so deep I thought to myself of all the chefs in Houston. I wasn’t the most seasoned. I certainly wasn’t most recognized. The universe, however, thought I deserved and needed this reminder that I was on the right path. What a contrasting moment and clear sign to keep pushing forward once again again. I had to let go of my trusted sous chef as she was starting her own business on the side while calling the inspector on us under false accusation. This was to hinder our meal prep production and business altogether. That was one of the biggest and most painful lessons I had to learn.The people closest to you are more likely be the ones that will betray you. I was experiencing nonpayment from clients who were taking advantage of me. I survived fraud on my business account which caused so much stress and strain on me and my events. Not to mention, I was doing every single job at this point from shopping for the groceries, cooking, prepping packaging, putting the sticker on the containers, bagging them, and delivering them myself. I cried many times over a sink full of dishes and a disaster of a kitchen mess, barely being able to stand up because my feet were tired and my legs ached. Still, I pushed through, taking a birdbath in the restroom, or in the mop sink where you dump the mop water. However, throughout all of this, I had never been happier. I was free for the first time in my life, making my own decisions as my own man, making my own mistakes and learning how to sit in an imperfect space and as an imperfect person. Learning to be OK with myself because I was trying my absolute best. My confidence grew from the inside out, and my walk changed. That’s something you can’t buy or wear or drive. When you have nothing left to define yourself by like the job you had or the relationship you had or the house you had will you strip all that away? Who are you underneath? That’s when you find yourself. You see who the person is underneath it all. Many people will never get to that place because they’re too scared to let go and lose everything so they play it safe their whole lives.. Not I. I was eating challenges for breakfast, learning how to make my own decisions and put out my own fires. I moved out of my kitchen pace and lived in hotels for a while because I was making some money. I moved into my first apartment. It was a tiny efficiency with a great view In the high-rise building. I found my rescue Of my dreams. I went and bought that two seater car that I had always wanted since I was a kid. I worked my way up to the penthouse of that high-rise building.Finally, by some series of events, I expanded my TV presence from local news to five other cities in Texas. I have now freelanced as a culinary contributor on over 18 news stations to date and produce, film, lead in, light, and edit my own segments for news stations as well as live TV. I’ve got some great ideas and big plans for the future moving forward. Plans that I hope will resonate with people on a much deeper level, a more important level, and always with good food along the way.
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?
If it’s a smooth road, you’re not doing it right or trying hard enough. Life is supposed to be filled with contrast and challenges, as well as amazing experiences, filled with happiness and joy. I had to learn that the checklist that society tells you will make you happy and the formula works for everyone is a lie. There are great things within it, but you have to choose for yourself. What makes you happy. Disconnecting from that illusion when this journey started for me was very painful. I had to realize there were more than two kinds of people in this world. I used to think they were nice people and murderers. I was naïve, sheltered, and I trusted everyone. You have to build a sixth sense and that only comes from painful experiences that you have to go through and heal from.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a culinary contributor on the news, creating content for news media channels all over Texas. I do Live TV cooking segments and content creation as well. I work as a private chef and I also love doing boutique style catering events. I specialize in seasonal, beautifully presented & boldly flavored cuisine from light bites to private dinners. However, my biggest strength, Is my passion for people and love for service to others? This is a rare and dying characteristic among people in our society. The ability to serve others.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I wasn’t a risk taker. My life was very linear prior to my journey. However, most of the risks I took were at times when I had nothing else to lose. I was either really ticked off and fear took a backseat or I had no choice and was thrown into a situation where there was nothing else to do but take the risk. Some of it was by choice, a lot of it was thrust upon me.
Contact Info:
- Website: completeeats.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chefadriantv/
- Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCm7yAMmRyLzgv2qxLPG1Wlg
