Cordell Robinson aka Cordell The Culinary Diva has been cooking since he was 7 years old. Cordell grew up in a household of six kids and his mom worked two sometimes three jobs. She did not have time to cook all the time so the kids would have peanut butter & jelly, Spam, or some other kind of quick meal. Cordell began to watch his aunts and great-aunt cook and started to mimic what they were doing in the kitchen. He asked questions out of curiosity and knew he had a love for food. Cordell started with very basic dishes like baked chicken wings and seasoned some canned vegetables. As he got older he started doing more complex cooking. Cordell made fried rice, egg rolls, meatloaf, spaghetti, and many other things. At that time there was no internet to depend on for recipes so Cordell went by taste. His brothers and sister seemed very pleased with his cooking.
When Cordell moved in with his father, his stepmom cooked just about every day and Cordell would watch her technique and style. Cordell did not cook much there but when he had the chance he would. Later in college, Cordell cooked for his friends in exchange for them to buy the groceries because he could not afford the food, Cordell really began to sharpen his skills. After college, he went into the US Navy and his first duty station was Diego Garcia. Cordell got together with friends and would use a one burner or cooking put to make meals. It was very challenging but it helped him have the ability to be able to cook in any kitchen. When he got stationed in Spain, it was a great opportunity to taste very unique foods and try their style of food.
he first dish Cordell made was a Paella. It was very difficult as he had no idea what he was doing but once Cordell did it a couple of times it because super easy and he enjoyed the process and what he calls the labor of love. When he left the Navy Cordell would find every opportunity he could to cook for people. Cordell would get creative with dishes, go out to restaurants and explore different cuisines to expand his palate more. In his last home, his kitchen was very small but he would have dinner parties for 50+ people and would have to cook in stages to get it all dine-in time. He enjoyed that time creating dishes and more importantly, my guests enjoying my food. I like to take people on a food journey to experience cuisines from all over the world.
Cordell is of Jamaican descent so he makes a Jamaican-inspired dish at least every other week. Cooking is a passion of his and he likes to share that passion with everyone. For the past few years, he's been cooking for celebrities and corporations. Most recently he cooked for Aston Martin Bentley, Dolce & Gabbana, The President of Zanzibar, Keith Sweat, Bobby Brown, Pleasure P, Jermaine Dupree, and Debra Antney. Cordell was recently invited to cook for the Andaz Hotel in Guanacaste Costa Rica for a lifestyle brand Ambassador opportunity. Chef Cordell has cooked all over the world, Diego Garcia, Rota Spain, Sicily Italy, Crete Greece, London UK, Toronto Canada, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Tanzania, Zanzibar, and Paris France.
Keep up-to-date by connecting on Instagram @cordelltheculinarydiva
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