Shenari Freeman A pioneer of American vegan cuisine. Her Vegan Her Soul Her menu in Cadence, New York City combines her flavors of growing up in Virginia with her passion for sustainable, health-conscious eating. And it all started with excessive partying.
In his early twenties, Freeman worked as a front desk manager at a popular bar and restaurant in Washington, DC. After her shift was over, she would drink and party late into the night. Seeking a better routine, she transitioned to her diet vegan. “She wanted discipline, so it started with her diet,” she recalls.
This shift allowed Freeman to: Culinary Education Institute (ICE) and her current role as Executive Chef Cadence“We don’t use soy-based or highly processed products,” she explains. “We cook mostly with vegetables and all our produce is organic. We try to show our customers a different way of eating.”
Freeman’s boundary-pushing menu at Cadence has been nominated as a semi-finalist for Emerging Chef 2022 and Best Chef 2023: New York’s James Beard Awards. Instead, she opened a new vegan West African restaurant in Los Angeles and is writing a cookbook, where she details her career path, why interpersonal skills are so important for chefs, and the world of restaurants. talk about how they are making a difference in
Eater: What is your job?
Shenari Freeman: i am the head chef Cadence, a vegan soul food restaurant focused on healthier options, cooking and recipe development. I’m also the executive chef at Ubuntu, an LA concept that opens in the summer or fall. We also cater for events and private dinner parties.
I am also a resident chef.Last year I did a residency in J Vineyards 3 weeks in Sonoma and 2 weeks in Costa Rica.i work in a cooking program food and finance high school, to assist students in arranging internships. We host an annual gala and raise money to enroll students in culinary school. And I have an alumni job at ICE.
Did you go to culinary school or technical school?
For undergraduate, I went to Howard University in Washington DC. I had a physical therapy background and was preparing for a graduate physical therapy program. I wanted to work for a professional sports team as a physical therapist. It came from playing sports all my life. Obviously that has changed, but originally my interest was in sports medicine.
I knew I didn’t want to do physical therapy by 2nd or 3rd grade because science is really hard. But I don’t think I realized my complete interest in food until I got a little more serious about becoming a chef in 2017 or 2018. That’s when I started looking for a vegan-certified cooking program. However, nothing was actually found.
In January 2019, I visited the Institute of Culinary Education in New York. At the open house, they said they would launch this health-supporting culinary arts program. I found the program to be mostly vegan, minus 3 classes. This was the only program I’ve heard that does what I want to do. It was the right time, just the right time.
What was the biggest challenge you faced when you stepped into the industry?
For a long time my biggest challenge was getting my own way. I think everyone is the toughest critic. I was cooking for a very long time before I actually showed anyone my food. Because there was no TV-level production of cooking content. Keeping my food out and not myself out there was probably the biggest challenge, but obviously I overcame it.
When was the first time you felt successful?
When I lived in DC, I used to do pop-up dinners, and that was the first time I did my own thing. It was to publicly cook my own food for others. It was my first time doing an event myself. And they were all sold out. So the path to culinary school solidified. I was like, ‘Okay, people like my food, so let me go to culinary school.
What was your turning point?
In July 2020, culinary schools were suspended due to the pandemic and restaurants had just reopened with outdoor dining conditions.I have been a fan of the restaurant group for a long time. overthrow hospitality and i was eating at LadybirdA manager recognized me and a friend randomly pitched me. She’s like, “Oh you guys should hire my girl, she’s a chef.” And the manager said I should apply.
I wasn’t looking for a job, but I applied, had an interview the next day, and was hired as a manager. AvantgardenTwo days after that job, Cadence’s original space became available. So the owner asked me if I wanted to do the concept there, and I said, “Yeah, of course.” i haven’t done anything else. And it just grew.
What was the most important skill that brought you this far?
Ordinary person skills, customer service. The original space was a chef’s counter, so we cooked in front of the customers. It was half behind the house, half in front of the house. In a restaurant, it is very important to have managerial and server skills in addition to cooking skills. It’s hard to open during a pandemic. Often times we don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, but it’s also very important to maintain focus and have some kind of belief to keep us moving forward.
Do you have or have you had mentors in your field?
Oh my god, yes.my current mentor Adrian CheathamShe is also an ICE graduate. When I was a student, she was on panels and I think she was the only woman. she wanted to know everything about her. She then talked to her and posted her picture and tagged her and she followed me and I was stunned.
I met her at a few more events and then asked her out. because i need help ” Since then, she has put my name in many rooms and introduced me to many people. I will be her plus one at industry events. She helped me negotiate the contract and told me how much I should ask for.
How are you changing the industry?
I’m deeply immersed in the world of chefs, especially here in New York, and I know most of them pretty well, but I haven’t met many other vegan chefs doing what I do. Vegan chefs are rare when it comes to visiting chef programs.
Also, not many chefs actually run kitchens. With that power and the platform, I think we can reach people in a slightly different way because unlike our friends who are running pop-ups, we’re actually dealing with customers every day.
I also work with other chefs to develop others. I am also a mentor now. I have worked a lot with James Beard House, learning about advocacy, learning how we can improve for our restaurant and our staff, and sharing all this information. We learn these things, go through these processes, and share them with our peers so that we can lift each other up and move our agenda forward.
