Chef Bran’de “Blue” Gilbert: From scholar to mentor

Chef Bran’de Gilbert, also known as “Chef Blue,” is a culinary arts instructor at Simeon Career Academy in Chicago and a former Trotter Project scholarship recipient.

Watch Chef Bran’de “Blue” Gilbert’s Interview for The Trotter Project.

If you associate the color blue with feeling down, think again. Chef Bran’de “Blue” Gilbert’s energy is as infectious as her story is inspirational. Read more about how Chef Blue got to where she is today and how she continues to work with The Trotter Project!  

Thanks so much for taking the time to speak with us! Can you tell us a bit more about yourself, your background, and when you first got interested in the culinary arts?

I first got interested in the culinary arts when I was in high school. Originally, I went to school to be a cosmetologist, but that quickly changed when I realized that I like getting my hair done, not doing hair. So culinary was the first thing that I was introduced to. And I realized that it was something that had been instilled in me since I was a little girl.

I had always been in the kitchen cooking with my mom and dad and my grandma. When I went through the five weeks being in the culinary program, I had so much fun. And I was like, “This is something that I could really see myself doing.” So I started off my sophomore year going through the culinary program. I went to Canada with them. And then my junior year, I actually got to come into the major and started learning how to cook.  

What made you want to start baking and becoming a pastry chef? 

I wanted to start baking and becoming a pastry chef because I quickly realized that I was not as skillful at savory cooking, and I didn't want it to be the reason that I stopped being a chef. I realized with baking and pastry that I could be more creative and I could be expressive through baking. I was able to make beautiful things using glitter and things that I feel like match my personality. So because I struggle so much with culinary, I wanted to find another outlet. Baking is something that I do when I'm stressed, when I'm overwhelmed, when I'm not feeling at my best, and it's something that really makes me happy and makes me feel confident.  

You went through your own culinary arts background, you decided to get into pastry. What made you want to become a teacher at your own high school?

What made me want to become a teacher at my own high school was both of my parents are teachers and my first job ever was actually at my mom's daycare. So being around kids has always been something that I feel like I grew up with, and I originally wanted to be a special needs teacher because I feel like sometimes they don't have the same opportunities as other students—I feel like they can be chefs like everybody else.

I wanted to change the outlook that they are limited to not being chefs. That was my original goal. Then the opportunity kind of fell in my lap when my old teacher was like, “Hey, I'm leaving Simeon, I think you're up for the job.”

I was super nervous and I kept doubting myself, but my mom was really my biggest supporter and my biggest helper. Then I started realizing I'm really going to be good at this. I started going through the process and when I interviewed I did really well and I was really confident at that point that I had the job. I actually knew I had the job after I interviewed, so I was super excited about it, and now I'm a teacher!  

How did you first get involved with The Trotter Project and how did you first hear about the scholarship?

I was actually at a summer skills camp with another scholarship program. I did some volunteer work doing cupcakes with kids and stuff like that. And then I was introduced to Derrek (Miller) and everybody else.

That's how I learned about the scholarship opportunities. It stood out to me because for most culinary scholarships, you have to do a cooking competition in order to get a scholarship. And like I've kind of said before, cooking was not really my strong skill at that point in time. So when I found out all I had to do was a video, I jumped at the opportunity of it.

Every year since I've done the scholarship video, the videos have been due on my birthday, so I felt like it was fate! It's just an easy video where I'm talking about myself, talking about why I deserve it, and I think that it's good to have that perspective sometimes and something that's not so serious.

What stands out about The Trotter Project for me now as a chef and an instructor is the fact that I feel like every other scholarship program that I received scholarships from, it was kind of like, “Hey, we're going to give you some money,” take some pictures, and they send you about your way.

The Trotter Project was the ONLY scholarship program that kept reaching out throughout college. They kept reaching out to see if I needed any help. And it wasn't just about financial help. It was about mental and physical health because I went through a tough time with my mom being sick and me having some health issues. I feel like they were really there for me and I became part of a family. I got the opportunity to volunteer and give back to the community. I got the chance to attend awards ceremonies and speak at dinners and stuff. I got the chance to network in rooms that I probably never thought I would be in.

How do you feel like it's brought you to where you are today?

Receiving The Trotter Project scholarship has brought me to where I am today because, like I said, I became a part of a family and I think that it matters more than ever now because now I can give it back to my students and as a culinary instructor, that's one of my biggest things. I'm always looking for ways to pour into my students and help them level up, and feel the same kind of love and have the same kind of opportunities that I have had.

I want them to be able to become a part of the same type of family. Since I graduated from Simeon, nobody has gotten a Trotter Project scholarship. I'm hoping this year, and with all the years to follow, that at least one of my students gets to be a recipient of a scholarship from The Trotter Project.

What’s it like having Derrek Miller (one of The Trotter Project’s co-founders) as a mentor? 

Ah, having Derrek Miller as my mentor. We could probably spend an hour talking about this! Derrek is a ball of energy. He is like a parent to me, a great mentor. He pushes me to be the best that I can be. And whenever I felt maybe not my best and not as confident, he's always been there to push me to be better and to do better. He has never lacked confidence in me, not once.

It does something to my ego a little bit. He always treats me like I'm a superstar. He's super sweet and welcoming, and he's given me a lot of experiences that I probably wouldn't have had. So, having him as a mentor has been everything. I don't even know how to put it into words. I'm really grateful for him and everything that he has done for me and my family. 

What excites you for the future? Do you have any goals that you want to share with us? 

The one thing that definitely excites me for the future is just being a better culinary teacher. I'm always thinking of a hundred different things that I could do with my kids, so I'm excited to just see them grow and see how they go out into the world, and excel and become chefs. 

It's my first time doing this and I really like making a change. Initially, when I said that I wanted to become a teacher, I wanted to work with special needs students. I think that even if this is something as small as maybe having an after-school program or a summer program where I get to work with students with special needs so that they can still learn the same skill sets that regular chefs have, I would love to do that. I think that it would make me feel like the best teacher in the world if I'm able to accomplish that.

I'm actually going to accomplish it, I'm going to speak that into existence. 

How are you looking to work with The Trotter Project going forward?  

I have a dear friend of mine that was a good chef. His name was Malik. He passed away before he got to show who he was to the world. So because I got a scholarship from some powerful chefs, I would love one day to be able to make my own scholarship in honor of Malik.

For students to get that scholarship, his name still lives on, even though he's not here. I'm sure that that's something that they could probably help me with. It's something that I really feel like would make me feel a lot better about him passing away and his legacy still living on, because he really was a great chef and he was an inspiration to me a lot of times. He really pushed me to be the chef that I am today. I think it would make him proud if it was something that was living on in his name.

What's a piece of advice you like to share with your students and anyone else looking to get into the culinary arts? 

A piece of advice that I always share with my students is to never give up. Anybody that knows me and they know my story, I have had a lot of roadblocks and things that went wrong along my journey, but I just kept at it. I stayed positive. And there were a lot of times when I probably should have given up and I didn't. So I always tell them to keep at whatever they're doing, stay positive and focused, and keep that drive.

If you keep pushing, you'll always end up where you want to be. But you gotta stay focused, you gotta persevere through everything. Nothing is going to be easy, because this journey hasn't been easy for me, and it's still not easy, because I'm still learning, and I'm growing as I go on. But as I learn and grow, I become a better chef, a better instructor, and just a better person every day. That's something that really makes me happy that I can share with them. 

Who would be your dream chef to collaborate with?
My favorite show is Crime Scene Kitchen because I'm always guessing the desserts right. Yolanda Gampp (one of the Crime Scene Kitchen judges) is my favorite pastry chef. I love how everything she makes is always so beautiful. I would love to work with her one day or even go on the show so that she could judge my work to see if it tastes good. I really do look up to her and I always have.

Tell us more about the name Chef Blue! 

The name “Chef Blue” started when I was in high school. I was always super vibrant and glittery and I always had blue hair and blue braids. It started off being a nickname, Baby Blue. Anywhere I would go in the industry, people would be like, “Hey, that's Blue,” because I always had blue hair.

It's something that stuck with me. Bran’de isn't who I am as a chef. My last name isn't either. So Chef Blue is what stands out. It's what separates me from everybody else. It's kind of like a signature thing. I think it's really fun for my students, they don’t have to call me by my first name or last name. It's something that's more interactive. And also sometimes people associate the color blue with being sad and unhappy, but I like to bring some happiness and perkiness to the color. So that's how I became Chef Blue!

Thanks so much for sharing your story with us, Chef Blue! To learn more about The Trotter Project’s scholarships, check out our page here. And to support our scholarships and other programming, be sure to sign up for our newsletter to stay up-to-date and check out our donation page here!