Listening to the Spirits Helped Make My Restaurant a Success

Welcome back to Restaurant Confessionals, where we talk to the unheard voices of the restaurant industry from both the front-of-house (FOH) and back-of-house (BOH) about what really goes on behind the scenes at your favorite establishments. In this installment, we hear from a chef who says he owes his career and the success of his restaurant to Santería.

My orishas and I bless the four corners of my restaurant before I leave for the night and before I enter it in the morning.

Ten years ago, I was going through a really rough time in my life. I was partying and running amok to the point of almost hitting rock bottom. That was when Santería found me. My godmother is Cuban and I went to see her. Her husband took me to see a Santería high priest and he read me my caracoles, which is a divine consultation of sorts using seashells. I was taken aback by the accurate description of my life that this man I'd never met before was giving me. Through him, the saint told me that in order to be successful in life, I would have to leave my girlfriend, my friends, and my family. It was hard, but I followed through with the guidance and it changed my life forever.

I moved to Europe, went to culinary school, and got to cook in the kitchens of many prestigious restaurants, where I learned the building blocks of my restaurant's menu. I have no doubt that my devotion to my orishas has helped my restaurant be successful to this day.

When I first opened my restaurant, my 88-year-old Santera godmother came in and did a cleanse and blessing ritual of the space. I was as nervous as any other first-time restaurant owner who was about to blow his life savings on a restaurant and hope for the best. But deep down I knew that no matter how hard things got, I would never be alone because I would always have my family's blessing and orishas on my side.

People have a negative interpretation of Santería, just as they do of other misunderstood religions, like Voodoo and Paganism. This has to do with a fear of the unknown and a lack of education more than anything else. Santería is not what people think, especially modern-day Santería practices in America. (For starters, I don't sacrifice animals.) In a nutshell, it originated in Nigeria and travelled across the oceans to Brazil and Cuba in the slave trade. There are no churches and you pray to the saints or energies in the universe—known as orishas—that pertain to whatever you are asking for. For example, you have Elegguá, who is the first and most important orisha in Santería. He is one that you pray to when you're at a crossroads in life. He is the witness of fate and acts as the connecting agent in this world.

Food plays a huge role in Santería. Every santo accepts food as an offering and every one is believed to have a favourite type of food. I often offer candies and fruits in exchange for them to hear me out. The other day, I got my coconuts—one of the holiest fruits in Santería—read by another high priest, and I am happy to say that it looks like I'm still on the right track. In this ritual, a high priest scrapes out all the coconut meat and puts the emptied-out coconut shell on your head. At that point, you ask the coconut a question, or put out what you want to it. It will listen and the high priest will be able to give you a "yes" or "no" response. I got a good reading. Around the same time, I also visited an astrologer to get a reading and he confirmed the exact same things that the coconut ritual told me.

Spirituality and faith in the kitchen go a long way. As we all already know, it is a very, very, very tough industry with never-ending pressures, intensity, and drama. That being said, religions such as Santería help you always have a grateful attitude in life, because you are constantly reminded to be thankful for the blessings that the universe, saints, deities, God, pachamama, or whatever you believe in has granted you. And what happens when you are constantly thankful, according to the universal law of attraction? It comes back to you. We all need help. As a chef, you're always in demand of help. You need help from your sous, your cooks, and the rest of your staff. Why not take any help from the spirit realm too?

I hate to get preachy but I'm a living testament to the fact that whatever you believe, you can definitely achieve. My santos protect me, and they can protect you, too.

As told to Javier Cabral