As a young Black chef in San Diego, Kelston Moore hit some hurdles that just shouldn’t have been there in the first place. So he and mentor Quinnton Austin decided to do some hurdle-toppling, help clear a path for the next generation of African-American chefs in the city.
They formed Bad Boyz of Culinary (@badboyzofculinary).
Bad Boyz organizes events to showcase the talent of the chefs they mentor—like festivals and pop-up dinners at local restaurants. They raise scholarship funds, train the chefs themselves, create a community.
For Kelston, his cooking and his work honors the stories and memories of growing up in Barbados, where his dad cooked pig tails for the neighborhood. And with Bad Boyz, he and Quinnton and other chefs from across the city—like Duval Warner (Ranch 45) and Tony Bennett, Jr.—help the next gen tell their own stories through the food they cook.
