Meet Cordell Robinson | Chef

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cordell Robinson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cordell, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I come from a line of entrepreneurs and innovators, its in my DNA to start my own business. When I started my first business which is a cyber security company, I was working for another company and I made them quite a bit of money doing business development, and did not get anything from it. So I started my own company and called the owner to let him know as a courtesy and I said you can sue me or partner with me, and he partnered on different contracts. When I started my culinary brand, it was a organic. Cooking is what I love and luxury is what I love as well and I decided that i would create a unique brand that identifies my lifestyle and life experiences through food. Clearly cyber and food have nothing to do with each other but I would cook for my teams sometimes just to get feedback as I know my food is fabulous but there can always be room for editing or suggestions via reactions, so that also made me think on the business side of food, what do I want my brand to convey. For me as I experience things I usually compare it to how can I incorporate that into a business. I piece things together over time which has helped me in the pieces of starting my businesse(s) the way I want to with unique approaches.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
My business is unique as i do different things in the culinary world. I curate menus based on geographic location, tastes, and vibes. What sets me a part from others is that my food hits those notes unexpected and tells a story or take you on a journey. As for the brand side, it is all about luxury in so many ways from ingredients to presentation. Even when cooking basic everyday meals at home I make sure I source my ingredients from local farmers that I have vetted, and choose the highest quality. I also try to grow a few things as well, because there is nothing like fresh cut herbs in a dish.

What I am most proud and excited about is a few projects I am working on. The most important one is my school in Zanzibar Tanzania that I am diligently working on to break ground on this year. This other is a show with a concept that is not done currently that will change the cooking shows.

I got to where I am business wise by working hard all the time and dusting myself off through failure and pitfalls. Working through stressful times and not giving up. Having a great support system around me (my husband, nephew, niece, friends). It has not been easy at all. Some was due to poor decision making and some was due to outside interference that has been teachable moments. I have been able to overcome challenges by not repeating the same mistakes, as for the outside interference, coming to the realization that there will always be someone that will be contrary with you no matter what. I have learned to trust my gut feeling, keep working hard to attain my goals, and I got rid of the mindset of a glass sealing and just focus on the goals i set out and be the best me I can be with no limits.

I would like to know that I come from very humble beginnings that taught me a lot and I have experiences that are priceless, from world travel, to military, and the way I have been building my brand through my experiences and relationships I built to create my brand and story.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend was visiting the area, they would arrive to my home for a fabulous lite meal cooked by me. Then we would take a car service downtown and have cocktails at the SW waterfront, which has some great restaurants with great views. We would bar hop my style by starting at Moon Rabbit for some craft cocktails and a snack as they have an incredible menu, then we would go to La Vie, which has a great view and some very cool cocktails with a little drama added to them.

The next day we would go have lunch at Charlie Palmer steak which have a stunning view of the Capitol. From there we would walk around DC and the mall area to look at the monuments and have some great discussions. That evening we would go to JontDC and experience the 2 michellin star restaurant with an incredible chef’s counter to experience haute cuisine at it’s finest.

The next day (Sunday) we would go to the Four Seasons for brunch, and then walk around Georgetown, do a little shopping and take in the beautiful architecture.

On Monday, I would put them in an Uber to go explore the city themselves and recommend taking the double decked bus around the city because they explain what all of the statues mean which is quite interesting, and yes I live here but I do not remember what they all mean but yes I have done the tour. That Evening we would go out to L’Ardente for dinner and cocktails.

The next day we would drive out to up to Baltimore and check out the Inner Harbor, then go over to Fells Point and walk around. From there we would drive back to DC and go out to Sushi Nakazawa to have real sushi and then walk up Pennsylvania Ave and see the majesty of DC at night with the architecture. We would end the night at a bar in that area because there are so many great ones.

The next day we would go out to Annapolis to have some crabs and sit out on the water and chill while eating delicious food. From there drive around the Annapolis, then head back to DC. That evening we would go out to Fiola Mare for dinner and cocktails.

The next day we would take a drive out to Tyson’s Corner and do some shopping, and have lunch at Nostos which has delicious Greek food. That evening we would go out downtown to a play or show, whatever is going on at hat time, and then head to Bombay Club for dinner.

On their final night we would go to one of my favorite restaurants Del Mar because they have the best Paella in DC and Spanish food is dear to me since I spent 2 1/2 years in Spain while serving in the Navy. I love Spanish food, and to be clear Spanish food is not Puerto Rican, Cuban, Mexican, etc, which all have great cuisines but Spanish food is Mediterranean forward ingredients with a lots of history and culture.

In my view DC has so many places to hangout and eat in different neighborhoods all over. Each neighborhood has its own personality which I think is so cool about my city. Because DC is the Capitol there is so much here, from monuments, parks, landmarks, and restaurants, bars, etc.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are a few people that deserves recognition in my story. First I would say my husband because he supports all of my efforts and ambitions without hesitation. Then my beautiful friend Fortune, I have always been philanthropic but after a few conversations with her I was compelled to start my own foundation which I did and its called Shaping Futures Foundation. I would then say my ride or dies (they know who they are), because they see all they blood sweat and tears I put into everything and understand me and have my back.

Website: www.shapingff.org

Instagram: @cordelltheculinarydiva

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