he also works as a counselor for young people. As part of his journey and path to a master's degree in social work, he sits with a client for an hour to talk about mental health. He loves working with his clients as they teach him more than he teaches them. One of his clients recently told him they wanted to thank him because they never had someone to talk to about their issues. So being aware of what is going on and being able to help however—no matter how small—is invaluable. Whether cooking a small meal for your family or talking to friends or cousins or whomever, these things do matter. Especially for those who suffer in silence despite putting on a brave face. “Every day, really ask people, ‘How are you doing?’ ‘Are you okay?’ ‘Do you need support?’ ‘Is there anything that you want to share with me that you haven’t talked to anybody about?’ ‘How can I be there for you?’ ‘How can I be more present for you?’ If we all begin to do that, I think we will have a happier, happier world.”
Technology is a particularly relevant subject, as social media is playing an increasing role in everyone’s life. During his early days on Instagram and YouTube, he would work with different teams to build and promote things he made. As his popularity grew, he was able to open up doors for different ventures. However, today, he is less interested in managing social media and giving himself away pointlessly. He has to learn what is the right balance for him. In terms of the LGBTQ+ experience in the professional kitchen, he felt he could not bring his full self to work in that environment. A simple example is the chef hierarchy, which is about who gets to control things, who gets to have the loudest voice, and who gets to make decisions. He was taught that one needed to respect that hierarchy. So, he had to present himself in a certain way in order to be accepted and work. However, the good news is that nowadays, there is zero tolerance for any kind of abuse. It is no longer okay to swear at someone or for people to throw a pot at someone else just because they did something wrong. As a society, Chef Lynch thinks that we underestimate the power of being a witness at every level. “Living life and being present have power. It is powerful. It is transformation,” he says. To that end,
He was on his way out after preparing dinner since he technically did not have a seat at the gala. Just as he was leaving, however, Miss Hudson asked where he was going—and he told her the truth. She then insisted that he take the seat next to her. And so, he did. “There’s me. There’s Jennifer. There’s Alicia Keys. Pharrell [Williams] comes over. Ciara, Jennifer Lopez, there’s just all these people. And… as much as we know them to be very successful, [the night] was also very calm and very normal,” he says. Though one may think that food and fashion occupy two completely different worlds, Chef Lynch thinks that they share an emotional link. Our relationships with cooking and clothes are both heavily influenced by feelings. Also, they both play with colors and textures. More importantly, it is about mood and what one wants at a particular moment and lets intuition be the guide. With the advance of time, today’s chefs are thinking about more than just food. They are also involved with business, technology, and mixing everything with art, music, video games, fashion, and more. In Chef Lynch’s mind, technology offers access. There are no more informational barriers. There are no more gatekeepers for food, recipes, or stories.
@LAZARUSLYNCH @DIGITALWONG
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