BUFFALO, N.Y. — Darian Bryan owns the Plating Society in Buffalo, a private chef’s table that can seat up to 30.
“I cook right here. People watch me. I sing, I dance, I entertain,” said Bryan.
He also owns Bratt’s Hill, a lunchtime take-out and evening fine-dining restaurant down the street, named after the Jamaican neighborhood where he grew up.
“No electricity, no running water. I used to go to the river everyday to get water. Crocodile chasing us all the time,” said Bryan.
The restaurant features his authentic Caribbean-style menu, inspired by dishes he made back in Jamaica after taking over his Mom’s cooking shop at 15.
He came to the U.S. at age 20 and went to Erie Community College and Buffalo State University where he studied culinary arts. His first job was at Denny’s.
“I didn’t know what celery was; I didn’t know what bacon was coming here. They teach me all about American food. Never seen a pancake a day in my life, then they teach me all that stuff,” Bryan said.
Now he teaches others, more than 1,700 miles from where he started.
“I’m making history right now baby, let’s go. It means a lot to me to help shine some more light on what us Black folks, African American, wherever you’re from, just what they’re doing in this country, you know,” Bryan said.
“Some of these recipes that Chef Darian is doing have such a great amount of nutrition, including dietary fiber, iron,” said Carey Skelton, MSMPHRDN, nutrition and wellness coordinator with Chautauqua County Office for Aging Services.
It’s due in part to the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP-Ed, which features Black History Month programs geared toward African Americans, said to be at a higher risk for chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.
“Incorporating these foods into our diets on a regular basis, not just during Black History Month as a celebration of the food and the culture, can help us live a higher quality of life, and a longer life,” Skelton said.
“With me being a fit chef, food and nutrition is really important, ’cause your health is all you got,” Bryan said. “It’s just hard work and dedication [that got] me to this point. So, if I can do it, you can do it too, so people see that.”
