The Michelin 2022 New York Young Chef Award was just given to Chef Charlie Mitchell, a co-owner of the Michelin-starred Clover Hill restaurant in Brooklyn Heights, Kings County.
Rasse is Mitchell. This accomplishment was made by a Black chef for the first time in New York City’s history.
Mitchell spoke with TODAY News in an interview about his love of cooking and the challenges he has faced.
“I think the thing that stuck with me the most is [my mother] used to do this whole fry fish, like whole fry bass all the time when I was younger. I think that stood out the most,” Mitchell said to TODAY.
Mitchell, according to TODAY, made the decision to hone his abilities on the job rather than completing culinary school. Before working at Brooklyn’s Clover Hill, where he currently serves as executive chef and created the menu, the native of Detroit obtained expertise in prestigious Manhattan restaurants.
“I guess it was challenging but we’re always changing something or we’re always trying to make the dish the best version of itself, right? So we may tweak it everyday for two weeks, if we have to, to get it to be like the perfect dish,” Mitchell said to TODAY.
Mitchell’s expertise speaks for itself because he made history, which he initially wasn’t aware of.
“I was not, not at the time,” he recalled “You always think about the people, so many people have come before you. You just assume that someone has already done this, you know, it doesn’t cross your mind that you may be the first or second to do really anything, especially here in New York City.”
He added: “I think a lot of times, we’re chasing a very different American dream, then to kind of put up with these aggressive environments that are often led by people who don’t look like us.”