Undeniable Passion

When you get to taste a meal from Chef Stephan Berrouet Durand or you get to see him at work or again just listening to him talk about food, you can feel and taste his passion, and he shares it with everyone he meets. He always says, cooking is like sharing a piece of your soul, sharing a piece of yourself. The Consul of Liechtenstein quotes; “Chef Stephan’s cuisine is truly fabulous and every bite conveys the wonders of Haitian culture”. Today, Chef Stephan has definitely taken a special place in Haiti’s culinary history as an ambassador of Haitian gastronomy. Born and raised in Haiti, Stephan Berrouet Durand is an award winning and highly acclaimed Chef receiving many recognitions for his work not only as a chef but for the creation and organization of “Gout et Saveurs Lakay, Haiti Food & Spirits Festival and Taste of Haiti” in Miami.

Using his passion for the island nation, Chef Stephan has represented Haiti in many events including a presentation at the White House for the celebration of Caribbean Cultural Month and the D.C Embassy Chefs Challenge representing Haiti with 31 countries. Today because of his work, Chef Stephan is not only a champion and promoter of Haiti’s cuisine but an international champion promoting local cuisine and the use of local ingredients in the Caribbean as an ambassador for “Chefs for Development.” He also just received the distinction from the “Académie Culinaire” for Creole Cuisine as an ambassador for Haiti. Other invitations have included cooking at the World Bank, the Haitian Embassy in Washington D.C, the Haitian Embassy in Venezuela and Montreal en Lumière just to name a few. Stephan is the initiator of the new culinary movement and was featured in the first video of Haiti’s national tourism campaign “Let me take you to discover Haiti”. The Minister of Tourism Stephanie Balmir Villedrouin recognized Chef Stephan on numerous occasions for his support, dedication and contribution for the promotion of Haiti’s gastronomy and the development of the countries culinary industry.

Chef Stephan combines the flavors of home country with Latin and Caribbean flavors to create extraordinary food. He also draws inspiration from Louisiana’s Creole cuisine and American Soul Food. His love for food started since his early teens when he and his brother would cook together for their mother, but his “Baptême de Feux” came his senior year in high school. He got an opportunity to work with his cousin Chef Patrick Beaulieu. During his college years, he would start his own catering business and cook for college friends while pursuing a degree in Hotel & Restaurant Management. While continuing his studies, he spent a year in Haiti interning at hotel “El Rancho”. When he returned to the states he decided to postpone his studies in Hospitality Management and attend Johnson & Wales University, one of the most recognized institutions in the industry. While attending Johnson & Wales, Stephan received many accolades as a young culinarian. He was part of the Taste of the NFL in support of hunger in South Florida. Upon completion of his degree he moved to Omaha Nebraska for internship and joined the American Culinary Federation chapter where he was featured as an up coming young chef in the 1999 Discover American Cuisine. Post internship working for Sodexho Marriot and Bakers Supermarket, he continued to develop his skills by working with the ACF chapter president in developing a new concept offering fresh items created by chef’s in a supermarket setting. Completing a Bachelor’s degree in Communication at the University of South Florida in Tampa, he moved with his family to Ogden Utah as a military spouse and joined the United State Air Force as a civilian- catering chef in the Officer’s Club program. Chef Stephan served as the special event chef for the base commander and was promoted a year later to the highest profile base in the US as an Executive Chef & Food and Beverage Director at Eglin Air Force Base. Awarded twice for excellence, He was presented the coin for outstanding service by the Chief of Staff 4 Star General and Secretary of the Air Force.

As a Culinary consultant, Chef Stephan has collaborated in several projects in NY, Miami and Haiti providing planning & logistics, training, and menu creation based on the needs of the project. He assisted with the openings and management of the Chronicle in Orange, NJ, provided Food safety training for Sodexho’s hospital division and for the United States Air Force food service division. He is the owner of Culinary by Design, a Personal Chef, Caterer and Culinary Consulting services. Previously he owned 2 cafes and opened Durand Food Services, which provided catering services to Army bases all over the USA. He also cooked for some notable personalities like Florida Governor Jeb Bush, United States Air Force Chief of Staff & Secretary General, Haiti’s President, Prime Minister and Doctor Oz. During his invitation to Washington, DC by Haiti’s Ambassador Paul Altidor, two of his dishes were featured at Celebrity Chef Jose Andres restaurant Jaleo.

His passion for giving back inspired him to become the founder of Haiti Chefs for Education and the Co-Founder and CEO of the Haitian Culinary Alliance. His foundation raises funds to support culinary education in Haiti. Through the Haiti Food & Spirits Festival, he raised over $20, 000 in culinary equipment’s and scholarships to Haiti Hotel School and the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Education Foundation – Haiti Program. Haitian Culinary Alliance, a global association was born in 2012, regroups culinary and hospitality professionals all over the world of Haitian descent. The association created Taste of Haiti in Miami for the past two years and is planning on bringing the event to cities like NY, Montreal and various locations. In 2015 & 2020 the Alliance partnered with World Renowned Chef Jose Andres World Central Kitchen after Hurricane and an Earthquake devastated Haiti.

Chef Stephan is also a Culinary Ambassador for Celebrity Chef Cat Kora’s foundation Chefs for Humanity, and has worked as an instructor for Young Culinary Masters, a non-for-profit organization founded by Culinary Curator Nadege Fleurimond of Fleurimond Catering in NYC which teaches young high school students to cook and eat healthier through the Healthcorp program founded by Dr. Oz. He is involved in several organizations such as the Black Culinary Alliance & The American Culinary Federation. Chef’s recipes have been published in several magazines such as Magic Haiti, N.B Magazine, Rebelle Magazine & Sanctuary Magazine to name just a few. Several publications such as Le Nouvelliste, Ticket Magazine, World Footprint, Lakay Weekly & The Montreal Gazette have boasted about him. He created recipes, for the handy spiral slicer appearing in an E-recipe cookbook. With several projects and a cookbook in the works, Chef Stephan is excited about the future to continue his work as culinary ambassador.