Chef Justin Edward’s journey wasn’t a straight line. But it has come full circle.
The current teaching chef at Emma’s Torch, Chef Justin has spent nearly two decades honing his craft in fast casual chains to the most buzzed about fine dining kitchens. But before he ever worked on a line, he learned what he could accomplish at DC Central Kitchen as a student in our Culinary Job Training Program.
When Justin enrolled in the program back in 2006, he was still trying to find his way after some dealings with the justice system, had no previous culinary training, and didn’t know about the self-empowerment part of our curriculum. “Learning knife skills–how to small dice, medium dice, chiffonade, julienne–those are all things that I didn’t know,” Justin said. “Learning the proper technique and terminology goes into your kitchen skills. The life skills taught us it’s about not just always settling for less. If you’re going to do something, let’s do it right.”
Following his CJT graduation in 2007, Justin’s culinary journey included stops in kitchens ranging from corporate and university cafeterias to catering operations to fast-casual and fine dining restaurants. Along the way, Justin worked his way up the ranks, from line cook to sous chef to head chef before his newest role at Emma’s Torch teaching refugees culinary skills for future employment in the industry.
Justin was attracted to Emma’s Torch for the same reasons he was drawn to DCCK. “Working with a purpose, that was one of the major life skills that I’ve learned, that I’ve always kept with me about DC Central Kitchen.”
“I was taught to do the same thing for other people because at one point, I was them. I was the person who had no skills,” Justin said.
Almost two decades later, many of the lessons Justin learned from his former instructors, including Marianne Ali, still resonate.
“Marianne told us, don’t let yourself be stagnated,” he explained. “There’s always questions to be asked. There’s always things to do to get better. I used to always pick my boss’s minds. They saw initiative, and they started giving me more projects. I started taking on because I was eager to learn.
“She was big on the little things,” Justin said about Marianne. “Little things turn into bigger things. And that’s how I teach my students. I let them know, every second counts. Utilize all the small things, and then you can master the big things. Take it a day at a time. Marianne used to always tell us, let’s be a little bit better today than we were yesterday. And that’s what always sticks. Rome was built one brick at a time.”
According to Emma’s Torch Front of House Manager April Hayes, Justin has a similar approach to teaching as Marianne. “He takes his time with the students,” April said. “He makes sure that they fully understand their roles, responsibilities, the importance of working in a kitchen, what’s going to be like to work in a future kitchen.”
From starting in a kitchen at DC Central Kitchen, spending the last 18 years working in all the types of kitchens his students ask him about, Justin speaks with confidence and expertise about what it takes to work your way throughout the restaurant world.
“I always tell the students, I was you at one point. You don’t have to go to a traditional culinary school to get to where you need to get. And don’t let anybody make you feel bad about that. I went to DC Central Kitchen. I’ve been a head chef for the last seven years. I’m a walking testimony to let them know I’m where you can be.”
To learn more about Emma’s Torch, visit emmastorch.org and watch our Alumni Spotlight video on Justin. We also proudly now offer Justin’s flaky buttermilk biscuits for sale in all three DCCK Cafes!