Never forget your roots. But also, don’t forget to water them.
Growth is the foundation of life and in order to grow healthily, we need to feed our foundations. Those who do not grow cannot foster growth in others.
As the new year rolls in and some are making resolutions, others have transformed these resolutions into a lifestyle year over year. Our very own Chef Brother Luck is one such example.
Recharting a Trajectory
He had humble beginnings, but took hold of his circumstances and with hard work and dedication, recharted his trajectory in life. Chef Luck took a job when he was 14 out of necessity. That necessity turned into an education when he enrolled in vocational school. His education morphed into an opportunity to work in a kitchen with a master chef. The apprenticeship led to traveling the world to learn more about how other cultures treated food.
Chef Luck was able to mix all of these ingredients together to make himself into an entrepreneur.
He started his first restaurant, Brother Luck Street Eats, here in Colorado Springs. Due to his uncanny ability to bring flavors and textures together in the most unique and tasty way, he soon received national recognition. Shortly after the inception of his new restaurant, Four by Brother Luck, opened in the Springs he headed out to spend time appearing on different shows for the Food Network.
The shutdowns in 2020 were personal for Luck. Followers on social media were privy to a very raw and vulnerable moment when Chef went live to let patrons know the doors had to close.
“Cooking saved my life and took me off the streets. It was a steak sandwich every night and a family I didn’t have,” he reminisces. He took to social media for some updates and his heart for his people was palpable. In an often transient field, Chef Luck has quite a few members of his team who have been with him for more than 10 years. He knew that if layoffs were going to occur, he was not only laying of staff, he was laying off their families, as well.
Creating Opportunities
He made the commitment to create opportunities for his staff to get working again.
They consolidated his two kitchens into one at the Lucky Dumpling location in Downtown Colorado Springs and started offering curbside pickup. He soon developed virtual cooking classes and then added cooking kits once the interest started to increase. “I don’t base my success on what I do; I base my success on what my team does,” he stated.
It is sometimes said that the “why” behind a business decision is often more successful than the logic behind it. Luck summoned his grit and determination not only to retain a business that he worked hard for, but to maintain a livelihood for those he has come to consider family.
And the growth of his business was realized.
The space above Lucky Dumpling became available and Luck took the opportunity to expand knowing that it could create even more jobs. Shortly after signing on the space he was walking through and reflecting over the last year. There was already tumult within society and quarantine had only created further isolation. Taking notes from the success of his virtual cooking classes, Chef Luck decided to use the new space to promote pride, courage, perseverance and determination and ultimately foster conversation during a time where a barrier to conversation had been established.
The Studio is the new space and is a unique concept. “There are no rules, and I like that,” he states. With 24 seats, he can do a tasting menu, a pairing, use the space for research and development or for staff teambuilding. One of the things it has become, however, is a space for the creation of digital content.
In April of 2021, Luck started a podcast called #nolucksgiven that is focused on fostering those conversations.
Healthy Habits
Chef Luck has been open about his mental health struggles as well as his goal to remove the stigma and make mental health a priority. “Everybody has mental health,” he quips, which sounds simplistic and yet is quite profound.
He has been involved with the James Beard Foundation in pioneering vulnerability and how to promote healthy habits within his industry. One particular movement that he has supported and implemented with his staff has been #soberweek. This movement promotes healthy relationship modifications. It would replace a night out to decompress after a long shift with early morning activities like yoga, hiking, CrossFit, or volunteering with a local non-profit instead.
The goal is to lead by example.
He is leading by example in acknowledging that his past is a part of who he is, but he is the one who gets to define who he is becoming. And in realizing the growth that comes from that type of focus, he is looking to the future. In 2022, he is looking forward to launching a program with the Pikes Peak United Way that will help lower income families learn how to shop smart, identify strange produce as well as how to buy and cook it. The ultimate goal is to aid to stretch their dollars and reduce food insecurity. And who knows? He might just inspire the next Top Chef.
Chef Luck’s overall message for the new year in assessing personal goals for 2022: Don’t overlook mental health. Set short term goals to achieve longer term goals and look for opportunities to be a friend and mentor. After the last few years we, as a community, are building back broken trust and coming out of isolation. Check in with yourself and check in with others. We are in this together.
Website: https://chefbrotherluck.com/
Facebook + Instagram: @chefbrotherluck