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South Florida chef teaching young people lessons that go far beyond the kitchen

By
Najahe Sherman
Najahe Sherman
Najahe Sherman is an award-winning and Emmy-nominated news anchor for CBS News Miami. Najahe anchors CBS Miami News at Noon, the CBS News Miami 4 p.m. QuickCast, and CBS News Miami evening news at 5:30 p.m.
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Najahe Sherman

/ CBS Miami

Cooking is an essential life skill and one that brings people together. One South Florida chef is teaching young people across South Florida and around the world lessons that go far beyond the kitchen.

For the past 12 years, Dario Stephen, better known as "Chef D," has been serving up more than meals — he's teaching students the fundamentals of cooking one class at a time.

"I try to influence them with a lot of love, a lot of passion, and a skill they will have for the rest of their lives," Chef D said. "We're making my special southern chicken pisciotta."

The students learned about fresh ingredients and how to turn a simple chicken dish into something truly special.

"Woo! It's sizzling! We're gonna flip, we're going to flip to good. If I can do this, and it holds, your sauce is ready," said Chef D as he instructed the students.

It's not just the food that keeps students coming back, it's the flavor Chef D brings to the classroom.

"He's really fun, he's upbeat," said student Reynold Dieunne. "He's always encouraging us."

"Since I'm going to college next year, I really want to learn how to cook, so I don't waste money and waste my time," added Aurelee Georgel, another student.

Teaching life lessons that go beyond the kitchen

Five days a week, Chef D visits a school — sometimes two schools a day — as part of an after-school program connected to Barry University.

"Chef D is energetic, very energetic," said Hillary Pierre, a youth enrichment director at Barry University. "He's interactive, the kids love Chef D. You could be in a bad mood, and the moment he walks in, he brings that ball of energy."

Beyond recipes, Chef D is teaching life lessons that carry far beyond the kitchen.  

"I teach resilience because a lot of times they're going to make mistakes and I teach them broken crayons still color," he said. "So even though they've made a mistake they can correct it, they can fix it, they can add something to it and make it still work."

Chef D's mission doesn't stop here in South Florida: He's taking his cooking tour worldwide, with youth cooking camps planned in Colombia, Dubai and Sharjah in the months ahead.

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