Check Out Maribel Silva ’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Maribel Silva.

Hi Maribel, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started cooking at 16 at a country club in New Mexico. I moved to Arizona for school, not knowing anyone. I went to culinary school in Phoenix, where I worked in catering. It wasn’t till I started working at Zinc Bistro that I saw a lot of passion and creativity in cooking. I started as a fry cook and worked my way up to chef. After that, I have been Rochelle Daniel’s right-hand person (chef, chef de cuisine) everywhere she’s worked and got lucky enough to help her open a restaurant in Flagstaff, which we had talked about for years.

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
When I first started cooking, most kitchens were email-driven, so to work your way up as a woman in a kitchen was challenging. It always felt like you had to work twice as hard as the guys did to prove that you could do the same job.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a chef at a newly opened restaurant in Flagstaff. I’ve been working my way up through the industry. I feel proud to work for a woman-owned restaurant. And be able to do what I love.

So, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you before we go? How can they support you?
We have been doing a lot of collaboration dinners. I would love to do more of them and bring the chefs in the valley and Flagstaff together to collaborate and support each other in what we do. Working for a small business, we need to support each other, and doing things together is a win for everyone.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://atriarestaurant.com/