*Chef Charlie Mitchell has made history as the first Black chef to earn a prestigious Michelin star in New York City, and only the second Black chef in the nation to receive the honor.
Mitchell, the winner of Michelin’s 2022 New York Young Chef Award and Michelin’s 2022 New York Young Chef Award, was interviewed by TODAY’s Craig Melvin at the fine dining restaurant he co-owns in Brooklyn Heights called Clover Hill. He spoke about his passion for cooking and the challenges he has faced to reach this milestone moment.
“I think the thing that stuck with me the most is [my mother] used to do this whole fry fish, like whole fry bass all the time when I was younger. I think that stood out the most,” Mitchell said on TODAY when asked about his culinary inspiration.
According to TODAY, the Detroit native dropped out of culinary school and opted to hone his skills at first-class restaurants in Manhattan. He ultimately landed at Clover Hill, where he is the executive chef and oversees the restaurant’s menu. At the moment, the eight-course tasting menu features king crab tartlet, Long Island fluke, and Spanish octopus. The options change as prime seasonal ingredients become available.
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Meet Charlie Mitchell, who became the first Black chef in New York City, and only the second Black chef nationally, to earn a prestigious Michelin star.
He spoke with @craigmelvin at his restaurant Clover Hill to discuss his journey to the kitchen and how he’s breaking barriers. pic.twitter.com/YxHWVDlnfx
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) February 19, 2023
Clover Hill was awarded a Michelin star in its first year of operation, and Mitchell was equally shocked when he was also named best young chef by the organization.
“That was a complete surprise when they announced that and I was just humbled, you know?” Mitchell said on TODAY. At the time he received it, Mitchell was unaware he was the first Black chef to earn the award.
Black History Spotlight:
Chef Charlie Mitchell
Owner: Clover Hill, Brooklyn Heights
1st Black Owner of a Michelin starred restaurant in New York City.
20 Columbia Place. Brooklyn, New York pic.twitter.com/R1hRWypitT— Ace Aarons Author (@Ace_Aarons) February 10, 2023
Mitchell, a James Beard Award: Emerging Chef semifinalist, spoke about his journey in a 2022 interview with Nation’s Review Restaurant.
“I used to always say that I wanted to be the first Black chef with three stars because I had never realized that none of us even had one star,” Mitchell said. “I thought it was normal! But when I learned that I would be the first [or second nationally] I thought it was crazy, though I can think of a number of reasons why. ”
He added, “Now you feel special enough to be someone that people can look up to as an example.”
In the same interview, Mitchell said he hopes to be an inspiration for other young chefs of color.
“I think many chefs of color, maybe they get their foot in the door as a sous chef or something and they go and open up something more casual in their hometown,” he said. “And maybe they don’t stick with fine dining. I don’t think I’m the first Black chef [in the fine dining world] […] I just stayed the course and waited for my opportunity.”
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