Photo courtesy of Dario Stephen
Dario Stephen, aka Chef D, never imagined he would build a career as a chef and educator — let alone that it would become his life’s calling.
Growing up in Miami’s Liberty City, Stephen was part of a family in which food was the centerpiece of life, thanks to his grandmother and great-aunts, who made every gathering feel like a feast. By the time he was 12, he was preparing meals for his younger brother and sister, helping his single mother keep his siblings fed.
Stephen attended Florida State University but struggled to find work in his chosen field of criminology. He eventually turned to teaching, drawing on the culinary skills he had developed since childhood, and landed a position teaching culinary arts at Miami Central Senior High School, his alma mater.
From there, he was tapped to lead a summer cooking program for elementary-age children — an experience that changed the course of his career.
After discovering his work online, organizers for an international book fair invited Stephen to Dubai to give cooking demonstrations. The opportunity eventually led to his children’s book, “Chef D Cooks The World.” Today, the 42-year-old works with Barry University to bring culinary education to South Florida children through after-school and outreach programs while continuing to create new opportunities for young chefs.
Drawing inspiration from “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” and “Reading Rainbow,” Stephen makes every class an adventure. He doesn’t reveal what students will be cooking until the lesson is underway, a strategy designed to eliminate resistance and preconceived notions about unfamiliar foods. He emphasizes technique over recipes, and, with a teaching style he calls “edutainment,” he creates an interactive learning environment that builds skills extending far beyond the kitchen.
A key aspect of Stephen’s lessons is helping students learn how to recover from mistakes. One phrase he repeats often, “Broken crayons still color,” helps convey that everyone has value and that the kitchen can be a place to discover confidence.
Stephen’s goals are ambitious, including cooking with kids on every continent, developing a children’s cooking show and continuing to expand his educational programs. For him, the work has never been only about food. Watching students recognize what they are capable of is what keeps him going. “Seeing the kids’ responses,” he says, “I knew this was what I wanted to do forever.”