Interview with Chef Christopher Viaud 

This season we selected Haitian-American, Chef Christopher Viaud of New Hampshire for Chef of the Season

First-generation Haitian-American, Christopher Viaud a Johnson and Wales University graduate from Massachusetts who discovered his love and passion for cooking at a premature age. In the kitchen is where he spent a valuable amount of his time with his mother while she nurtured & prepared the family’s meals. With a couple of degrees in Culinary Arts and Food Service Management, Christopher decided that becoming a chef was what he was more passionate about, he landed his first gig at Deuxave in Boston where he received much of his formal training and experience.

As a seasoned chef and a lover of Haitian cuisine, Viaud finds new ways to elevate the cuisine.

“…with each opportunity I get I am finding new innovative ways on how to expose those around me to Haitian food.”

Why did you decide to become a chef, despite the long hours, the never-ending weeks, no holidays, etc?

Being a chef allows me to be able to express myself as an artist by using food and different plate ware as my medium. It is such a rewarding feeling treating a guest to an unforgettable dining experience and sharing with them my thoughts and philosophy on food and how it can be playful fun and delicious. There are many sacrifices that are associated with working in the industry and there are things that do need to change but as a cook/ chef, I try and make it my personal obligation to not get consumed and overwhelmed by the work and be sure to make time for family and take care of myself mentally and physically. We work in one of the most grueling environments, but it is important to take a step back and take a break to appreciate the things that matter most in life.

Which sector in the food and beverage industry is your main target/ market?

I like to focus most on educating guests on the difference in the quality of local farm-fresh ingredients and how sourcing from local farms can help support the community and allow for a more sustainable environment.

In the last five to ten years, there have been huge changes in the food and beverage industry. Chefs are more revered now, cooking has become mainstream thanks to TV shows, festivals, competitions, etc… How did that affect you and how do you cope with it?

I think that it has been great for more people to fall in love with cooking again by being able to watch and experience cooking through media. But I’ve come to understand that it is a blessing and a curse. Seems as though everyone thinks it’s glitz and glamour to be a celebrity chef because of what they see on TV but they do not understand what it takes to get to that point.

I have seen it myself and heard so many stories of how culinary students get in it thinking it’s going to be a cakewalk and then end up dropping out or not continuing their career because no one warned them it was going to be challenging. For me, it has been an inspiration watching some of the talents on tv through watching Iron Chef, Chopped, and Top Chef. Getting the chance to see icons developing themselves throughout the years.

Chefs are artists, free-spirited, and love to express themselves. It is hard to hold us in a box. What drives you? Where do you harvest that passion for cooking?

I draw my passion and inspiration by surrounding myself with people that have the same fire inside of them to always want to learn and create. There are so many aspects of culinary other than just cooking itself and finding new interests in produce, preserving, foraging, etc. I have been able to keep myself interested and learn new things which I can share with others.

Being an entrepreneur has taught me a great deal throughout my journey. Especially to always push forward and aim high. What are some of the current and future projects, collaborations, etc… you have in the works?

For the past few years, I have had the desire to open up my own restaurant and while to many that seem like a distant and unattainable goal, I am closer and closer to having that dream become a reality. Teaming up with my business partner we have been taking all the necessary steps to open a restaurant in the coming year.

We all face different types of obstacles/ challenges in this industry. Would you mind sharing your most difficult one(s)?

I would have to say one of my toughest obstacles was transitioning from a line cook to a chef. Working through the ranks in a kitchen means you develop close friendships with those around you and once you get promoted and have new responsibilities including managing those who previously were your fellow line cooks. I had a difficult time finding the balance between being a friend to being superior and it was just one of those learning curves that I had to overcome to situate myself in the best position for growth.

The food industry is not immune to discrimination in all of its forms: gender, race, religion, etc… you name it and we deal with it every day. Have you ever had to or do you currently deal with any form of discrimination? If so, how did/ do you manage?

Fortunately for me in my experience, I have not had to deal with any discrimination issues. There is always the friendly banter between the back-of-house or the front-of-house staff that happens in joking matter which could lead to something more but if anyone has ever felt uncomfortable it was a simple discussion and there was never an escalated situation.