In a perfect world, I would have a private chef! To be more specific, I would have Chef Rudy Straker as my private chef. Originally from Astoria Queens, Chef Rudy recalls food as always being a prominent part of his life and says his love for being in the kitchen came at an early age. Like most children he was curious as he watched his parents cook. Fortunately for him (and anyone that has tasted his food) his parents nurtured his curiosity. “Food was also a way to explore my roots”, Chef Rudy said as he shared a little bit about his background. His father, who was also a chef, is originally from Barbados and his mom who is an equally amazing cook is Cuban.
With a household so rich in culture, its no surprise Chef Rudy has many memories around the dishes created in his parents’ kitchen. Coucou and flying fish (the national dish of Barbados), along with his mother’s soup, black beans, and rice are some that vividly stick out for him. He notes that although his parents have differing origin countries, a lot of the ingredients are the same. “Everybody does something similar, but in their own way. Like plantains, they’re universal,” he says.
After 16 years as a chef, his roots are still close to him. During his time as Executive Chef at Solomon & Kuff in Harlem, he created his own variation of crispy flying fish, but with a red snapper. He also added to the menu, a derivative of his mom’s oxtails, adding dumplings to the dish.
Chef Rudy’s time at Solomon & Kuff was successful, but he wasn’t able to experiment much, which was stifling for a creative person like himself. “I couldn’t branch too far away from the restaurant’s cuisine. The only time you really get to change it up is when the seasons change.” He wanted to introduce people to more cuisines and the opportunity to be more creative. He wanted to, “show people there’s more to brunch than chicken and waffles. You’ve been fried chicken’d to death baby.” Becoming a private chef was the best way to combine these two desires. So, he made that full transition last year.
In this time he has completely gained the trust of his clients who let him do his thing. When preparing their meals, he lets the market speak to him. First starting in the produce aisle and working his way through the store. The self proclaimed ‘culinary geek’ reads endlessly and knows nothing he does can be replicated.
His favorite task as a private chef is preparing for a dinner party. Which led him to another step in his artistry–gelato. For dessert he often bought gelato and sorbet from a company whose product was amazing, but not cost effective. He decided to make it himself and OMG-Lato was born. The chef had a group of friend try the product and after getting their feedback, he saw that he had something lucrative on his hands. He was right!
His former client, James L. Dolan, owner of the Knicks tasted his gelato one night to soothe his sweet tooth fell and in love. OMG-Lato started being sold at Madison Square Garden shortly after. Unfortunately, OMG-Lato is no longer sold at the Garden and only made upon request at the moment. However, there is a plan in works that will hopefully have OMG-Lato in stores for everyone. Still, Chef Rudy says he never wants to known as the ‘ice cream man’ because cooking is his joy.
One thing that continues to push Chef Rudy daily is that he’s living out his father’s legacy. His late father was an excellent baker. He used his life savings to buy a store front property in Brooklyn to open a bakery. Unfortunately, it never opened due to a freak accident caused by the building’s infrastructure. Chef Rudy never inherited his father’s baking skills, but one of his teenage daughters has. “Baking is more exact than cooking, it’s systematic. In baking measurements are key unlike cooking where I can get away with a little extra pinch of this and a pinch of that. I’m just not that disciplined but she has a love and a gift for that.”
Beyond his private chef business, the chef can be seen on the New York edition of the Hulu’s “Around the Way,” which airs in late February. He’s also available for booking through his website, www.ChefRudyStraker.com.
