Meet Braylin Hardin | Chef

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

Hi Braylin, let’s talk legacy – what do you want yours to be?
I want people to remember for helping others. As chefs, people think we’re selfish and arrogant but most chefs have some of the biggest hearts anybody could have. I love teaching and I also love giving back to my community. A lot of people are going to remember me as the chef, but i want people to mainly remember me for what I did for my culture and for my community.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
What sets me apart from other is that I’m always willing to learn. I always wanna find out different foods,cooking methods, knife slices, ect. My creativity is unmatched. I have 58 cheesecake flavors. Flavors that people have never seen before. But what I’m most excited about all this is that Im starting to get more known around different cities, I’m traveling to places I’ve never been, and i get to meet new people and live my life to the fullest. People. Ask me all the time how did you blow up so quick? I didn’t. I’ve been cooking for 10 going on 11 yrs and im just now starting to get some recognition. It took of hours , blood, sweat, and tears in the kitchen to get here. From working 18+ hrs a day to working on 3 days no sleep. I’ve done it all. But one thing I want the world to know about me is that I’m genuine. My grandfather always said” when your heart pure, the universe will take care of you”.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Lol We would definitely take a trip to Indianapolis. My city is literally a town of 36000 and everybody knows everybody 😂. Go to Indy, take a tour of Lucas oil stadium and the field house, maybe catch a game depending on time of year. Then go down town to the mall, grab some food, then party it up!

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?
First I would like to thank my God for blessing me with everything I have. Without him, I am nothing! Next,I would like To shout out My mother Johnetta hardin for all the sacrifices, late nights and early mornings getting up everyday to make sure I had EVERYTHING. You pappy and granny did y’all thing raising me, instilling good life habits and manners at a young age. Everything I do I do for y’all🤞🏾

Next I would like to shout out all my cousins. From letting me sleep on y’all’s couch’s to Feeding and clothing me. I love y’all so much. Y’all give me the push to keep going and I promise we going to be straight soon! ❤️

Next I would like to thank my mentors over the years, especially Darnell Ferguson. Thank you for seeing something in me I couldn’t see in myself. Thank you for giving a small town kid with big dreams an opportunity to grow not just as a chef,but as a person.

Lastly I would like to shout out my city! NEW ALBANY WE UP NEXT🗣 #812kid

Instagram: Chef_Braylin

Image Credits
Kyle Gordon