You might know Dean Sheremet from “My Kitchen Rules” on Fox or The CW’s “Terry Crews Saves Christmas.” Maybe you’ve seen him on “Access Hollywood,” “The Talk,” “Good Day LA,” or “Home and Family.” If not, you’ve definitely stumbled across one of his hugely popular Instagram reels sharing a beloved recipe from his days at Nobu under the guise of “I hate this dish.” Much more than a celebrity chef, Dean is a philanthropist, heath and wellness influencer, former dancer, and devoted father of one. We asked him to reflect on some key moments of his ever-evolving metamorphosis.
Dean Sheremet: That I wished I’d started working in restaurants at a younger age. I went to culinary school very late at 29. I was one of the oldest in my class, and thankfully I approached it with the seriousness it deserved. If I were to rethink the journey, I’d start much younger, find a restaurant that would have me, and work every single position to soak up as much as I could. Culinary school can be very expensive, and I don’t like the idea of young cooks entering a workforce where the pay isn’t great, saddled with debt. The first day I spent cooking in a professional kitchen I learned very quickly that nobody gave a shit that I graduated at the top of my class. That accolade didn’t help me when I was being run circles around by more experienced cooks. In culinary school we had three people on every station, in the real world one cook was handling the job of three. It was a welcome kick in the ass to learn how to do everything at “kitchen speed” with no wasted movement. The best advice I ever received was “move your ass and don’t cry.” That applies to everything in life.
DS: More than artistic expression, it was the discipline required to be successful in both of those endeavors that pushed me through hard times. My work ethic is my greatest attribute. Many times, whether it be dancing or cooking, I was performing someone else’s vision. What I did was more akin to a craftsman than an artist. Most of the choreography I performed was not mine, most of the dishes I cooked were also not mine. I had to find perfection in the repetition, and my art came from making the dish or the movement that much more perfect every time I executed it.
DS: Over time I came to a place where I knew I could trust my instincts implicitly. Adversity is a great teacher.
DS: I’ve seen “West Side Story” over a hundred times. As a kid, I remember wearing out the VHS and becoming obsessed with the choreography of Jerome Robbins. It led me down a rabbit hole of all his work, and his style of movement stuck with me in all of my movement.
DS: They both require an incredible amount of humility. Everyday you’re pushing yourself, getting your ass kicked, winning, losing, sucking it up, and showing back up tomorrow with a smile on your face to do it again. You have to have a short memory in both. Whether you miss a step or mess up a dish, you adjust and keep moving forward. Same goes the other way, you do something great, there’s no time to be self- important, you just do it again… and again.
DS: Don’t get married so young, haha. I’m kidding of course. I’d tell him that all of this is temporary. Don’t get discouraged, but gather information. That’s all life is, the gathering of information in the hopes that you use it to get better. Stay infinitely curious, and don’t be afraid of your nerdyness (which I fully embrace).
DS: I have a very strict physical routine. Maintaining my body in top shape and doing physically hard things every day keeps me on the path. I journal and meditate daily. I also have an incredible son who looks up to me, so there’s not much time for self-pity. I always want to show him that he can depend on me no matter what.
DS: The food system is very broken. There are so many “experts” out there who vilify foods and diets and espouse nonsense that makes people very confused. The best thing you can do is pick the most nutrient dense whole foods that fit your lifestyle and budget, cook most of your meals at home, and hopefully find someone to enjoy them with. Life is simple, we tend to be our own worst enemies.
DS: Love, security, humor, and community. We’ve become so divorced from our food sources, and we spend so much of our time on screens in our own bubbles, I hope that I inspire people to try something new and share it with their community of friends and family.
DS: Atlas is my world. I’ve wanted to be a father since I was a kid. I came from a divorced household and spent my whole life striving for that “perfect” family unit. I was raised with an old-school father. Emotions were kept hidden, and secrets were common. I want to let my son know that I’m not perfect, I make mistakes, and show him how to repair them in a healthy manner. I grew up thinking I had to be perfect. I gained love through being a performer, and most of the time it came from strangers. Atlas knows I always have his back and that my number one job is to keep him safe. That doesn’t mean I give him everything that he wants, but I’ll continuously instill all the knowledge and love that he requires to become his own amazing man.
DS: I never kiss and tell…
Follow Dean on Instagram @deansheremet and at deansheremet.com.
