Raheem Sealey, Executive Chef of KYU Restaurant talks entrepreneurship, his love for KYU, being brave & his humble beginnings!

(upbeat music) - Good morning listeners and welcome to another episode of "Real World Talks" with Lordus, Natalie and Kathy. Good morning ladies. - Good morning. - Good morning. - On today's episode, we have Raheem Ceeley, who is the executive chef of KYU Restaurant. Good morning Raheem. - Good morning, how you guys doing? - We are great, thank you for being here. - Thank you so much for taking the time, we appreciate it. - It's a pleasure. - So Raheem, can you share with us your backgrounds and what led you to a career at KYU? - So my background, I grew up in the Virgin Islands, that's where I'm from, St. Croix. My grandma, like my grandma, I just grew up helping my grandma cook, like she cooks a lot, she used to cook a lot. So, you know, my days of, you know, of growing up was always food, so, you know, especially around times given in Christmas day, like, you know, I will always be waiting for her to come and ask me to grate the cheese and mash the potatoes and stuff like that. So, you know, I've had a thing for cooking for a very long time, and then when I was 16, I applied for a bunch of different restaurants, I mean, a bunch of different hotels on the beach in St. Croix, and I got called by one to be the dishwasher. So, you know, I started dish washing and, you know, like my, you know, the hunger for food, you grew even more 'cause I was in the kitchen every day seeing the cooks, and I just liked the hustle and bustle. I liked the Lloyd noise, the pots banging. So I just always thought that was very intriguing. And then when I had the opportunity to move to the U.S., I actually didn't move to the U.S. to start cooking. I moved to the U.S. to do induction insulation 'cause, you know, I had my daughter really young. I had my daughter when I was 17. So, you know, I just needed a job. But when I was doing that, like, all I could keep thinking about is cooking. Like, I don't want to do this. This is not what I want to do. I want to cook. So I moved to Miami when I went to La Cordon Bleu, you know, got my degree there, and I just started pursuing my dream in cooking. So, you know, like I've worked at a lot of places in Miami actually. I started at Michael Genuine for a little while. I worked at Zuma for like four years. You know, I was one of the team, the guys that opened up Sugar Cane or all bar grill elements in Midtown. I also opened the Faena Hotel at Powell. I worked at Scarpetta for a little while. And then while I was at Powell opening that restaurant, I got the opportunity to go and be the, basically the chef of Q, which me and my friend, we were talking about opening a restaurant from when I was at Zuma. So when we got the opportunity, we all came together and we opened Q, and, you know, that's how I ended up at Q. - Thank you, Raheem, so much for sharing that background. And I'm glad that you also shared like that, though your passion has always been from youth, you know, the whole cooking and the kitchen that sometimes, you know, that that opportunity doesn't come right away. You still got to get yourself in the right spot. So definitely even just getting into the hotel and getting that, you know, still seeing that ambience. We always encourage our students like, you know, never give up on your dreams, but sometimes you got to take that little step back to be able to get into the right atmosphere, to go ahead and, you know, get those skills and that experience going. Now you did mention Q. I've always messed up and called this restaurant KYU. - Me too. - I'm embarrassed, you know. - Me too. - Raheem, you should have corrected me a long time ago, but. - No, it's okay. A lot of people call it KYU or KYU. So, you know, now I'm just like, okay, cool. Whatever, you know, whatever you guys understand it as, that's fine with us. - It's okay, it's okay. It will be Q starting today. I know that you talked about your history and, you know, a little bit about your career experience and how you got into Q, but some of our listeners don't know as well that not only are you the executive chef at Q, but you also kind of went on this own entrepreneurship endeavor to open up your own spot called the drinking pig, which I have eaten there several times. I probably harassed Raheem a lot. He's like the best barbecue place in town. He did not play for me to say this, but can we switch this up a little bit and talk a little bit about the drinking pig? And then, you know, I know sometimes it's hard 'cause I know you're still at Q. How was it, you know, working with Q, you know, and still being able to start your own business? - Well, you know, at the time when I decided to start doing barbecue, it was kind of in the height of the pandemic where everything was kind of closed and at Q, we were all just staying home to do, you know, and doing nothing and like from just being years and years, just cooking and moving and moving and all the time working all these crazy hours. Like I was super bored. Like I started cooking at home and I think I cooked every single dish that I could think of at home. And I was like, I went from the bed to the couch and I was like, I can't do this, I'm going crazy. So me and my good friend Mark, which also I call him my brother, like we grew up in this industry together. He wanted to get some plants for his house and we decided when we went down to Homestead, let's try barbecue. So we went to Shiver's barbecue down at Homestead and we tried it and I was like, man, we should do barbecue. Like you like barbecue, I like barbecue. I like cooking barbecue. I like eating barbecue. So like, why not? So we bought a smoker down at Homestead and we literally placed it in Mark's front yard. And when I told him, hey, we're gonna do barbecue right here. Everybody thought I was crazy. I was like, nobody's gonna come to the front yard for barbecue. I was like, listen, we got nothing to lose. We're home doing nothing. You know, we bought the smoker already. All we could do is try to advertise it on Instagram and see what happens. Like there's a lot of people that supports us all the time. A lot of people that likes us. So if they like us enough, I'm sure they'll come support us. And I was like, listen, if we make the barbecue amazing and we get somebody to come once, trust me, we're gonna get them to come back again. So, you know, during the pandemic, we started off with just to go orders with just a smoker and one table with no tent, no covering anything. So, you know, we started picking up like that, all the advertising on Instagram. And it just became, you know, something that I never expected. That's super busy. And now it's like, you know, we got a bunch of write-ups, you know, everywhere about barbecue, you know, like a lot of our customers are regulars. It's just amazing. It's been an amazing adventure for me because, you know, I've always wanted to do something on my own. I just never knew what. And, you know, I think that was the right time for me to just start. And I started and, you know what I mean? Like it's been blessed. - That's awesome, Raheem. Now, how was it still working with KYU and so now? Because obviously the pandemic is still around. There's some type of normality we're trying to go to, but at least the businesses have opened up. So, I know Q, a KYU, I'm gonna call it, it's back up and running. So, how's it been working and, you know, with them and still running your business which is doing really, really well? - Well, you know, it's been challenging at times, but, you know, I've been at Q for five years and I made sure that when we created the menu and we created everything, like I taught everybody properly how to do stuff, right? And, you know, my chef always told me, you know when you do your job. So, I was like, can you elaborate? He's like, if you could not be here and the food is just as good and everything stays the same, then you know you did what you're supposed to do. And they were okay with it because, you know, whether I was there or not, the food was always the same. It was always on point. So, yeah, it's been challenging though. Sometimes, you know, it's just a, like for me, it was just a lot of work. Like, you know, going to the barbecue in the morning on Friday and Saturday and then leaving there and going to Q to make sure night service goes well. You know, like, you know, like with every business, it had a growing pain, you know? And showing, I think the hardest part was trying to, you know, convince everyone that I was still committed to Q. Even though I had the barbecue going. And right now, it works, you know, it works. - Awesome, congratulations on your business and for doing so well. You spoke a little bit about growing pains. So, I have a question. What was your biggest failure and how did you learn from it? - My biggest failure. Man, I can't think of one of those right now. Honestly, because for me, I don't ever see anything as a failure, you know? I always see it as a step in stone to just do better. So, that's a hard question. That's a hard question. Honestly, like, failure, failure, failure. I've had none, honestly. That's great. - Yeah, I've had none. Like, honestly, like everything just been, it's just been going so good that, you know, like, if there was any failure, I never even noticed it. - (laughs) No, that's amazing to hear. So, I guess moving on in terms of entrepreneurship, we have a lot of students that although they are in hospitality, they will like to start their own businesses, whether that be opening up their own restaurants or any creative endeavors that they think of. So, for our students who want to kind of follow in the same footsteps as yourselves and opening up their own business, what advice would you give them? Let's say perhaps if they want to be an entrepreneur or start up their own business within hospitality. - So, basically for me, like, I just think they have to go for it, you know what I mean? Like, don't stress, don't worry too much about anything. Like, you have to just be like, "Okay, this is what I want to do," and focus on it. And even if you start selling, like, if it's food, even if you start selling food out of your house, you know what I mean? Like, you got to start somewhere. So, for me, it's like, there should never be any reason that like, people would be like, "Oh, I can't do it, I can't do it." Like, can't, should never be in somebody's vocabulary. Like, you would never know what you could do if you can't try. So, you just got to push, you know, push very hard. And if that's what you really want, go for it, you know? Don't let anything stop you. Don't let anybody tell you you can't do it because there's always going to be people that you're going to meet and be like, "Oh, I don't think that's a waste of time. You're wasting your energy." You know what I mean? Like, nobody will know how you actually feel. So, you just got to quiet that noise and just push forward. - Yeah, Raheem, you're right. Because I feel like, you know, sometimes we could be our biggest cheerleader. Sometimes we can also be the one person that-- - Or worse enemy. - Or worse enemy, right? And it can be in so many different ways. And that really kind of goes really in line with the next question about like, how do you manage fear and what resources do you utilize to constantly stay on top of your skills? And I think that that's a good one because especially now through the pandemic, you know, I think a lot of people have been really reflective. And so, it's, what would you say like, how do you manage your fear? - I just, honestly, for like, there, yeah. I don't, I don't, I don't go by, it's funny 'cause I don't believe in fear. You know, I always believe I'm a strong believer of whatever it's to be, whatever it's to be is gonna be. So I just do it, like, you know, like I just do it and if it's meant to work, it's gonna work. And if it don't work, it's not gonna work. So for me, there's nothing to fear once you're trying to do something for yourself. You know, like, yeah, there's nothing to be scared of. You know what I mean? Like, only two things are gonna happen. You either gonna be successful or you're gonna fail. You know what I mean? And if you fail, you don't beat yourself up. You get up, pick yourself back up and do it again. Try it again. Try a different way, different approach. You know, it's just like you have a goal. Not because you didn't, you didn't meet your goal. You change your goals, you just change it the way that you, you know, you, you approach your goal. - Very true. - Very, very true. As Aliyah said, you know, pick yourself up and try again. So, absolutely, absolutely. - Exactly. - So Raheem, what do you love most about your job? And can you describe Q in two words? - Well, I can describe it in one word, family. You know, I love, I love the fact that I get to walk into Q every day and there's passionate people that just wanna do the right thing, no matter how long they've been there and no matter if they've been doing the same thing every day, they always come in and approach it like today is their last or today is, you know what I mean, is their first. Basically, you know, like the best part of, the best part of my job is the people. You know, the people that I get to work with every day, the relationship that I got to, I got to build over the years. And yeah, I've never worked in a restaurant where the environment is like that. It's all about the family, it's all about the people. You know, we always make sure that everybody's happy. You know what I mean? And, you know, like, we make, we listen, you know? Like when the guys talk, we listen, you know? And I think that's the best part of my job. I get to, you know, I get to do what I love every day with people that I love. - Awesome. So Raheem, as someone who's a leader in the industry, what characteristics or skills are most important for leaders, especially in the food and beverage industry? - You know, I think understanding people is the most important part. Like, I think people get caught up in managing people as groups, you know? Like, but you got to manage everybody as individuals. 'Cause, you know, regardless of how you feel, you know, what you're going through, they're going through something too. And in order for you to be able to be a good leader, you need to be able to listen. You know, even if it's something not pertaining to work, you know, like the staff, sometimes they just want to talk. And, you know, it could be personal. It could be something that's not even important. But if you sit there and you make sure you listen, like, I think that's the biggest part of, you know, of it all, being able to listen and understand people. - Oh, that's great advice. So, Raheem, how do you utilize your resources or what resources do you utilize to constantly stay on top of your skills that you currently have? - So I like to eat. So I travel a lot to different spots. So even if I just fly to New York for a day or two days, like, I'm going to try to eat like five lunches and six dinners because, you know what I mean? I just want to see what's new. I'm always reading. I'm always looking up new things. You know what I mean? I'm always looking with the local farmers to see what they're growing, what's new in the market. What can we play with? You know, I like to check out my chef friends 'cause I have a lot of them. And, you know, I reach out to some of them as a kid. You know, what you guys doing over there this week? Like, what's new? Like, you know, what kind of reading you guys are playing with? And, you know, I think that helps a lot when it comes to their skills. We just always got to be on top of our game. - Right, right, right. And it's, I like the fact that you said that you travel to kind of see what's out there, what's new, what's trending. Because sometimes we, you know, sometimes they comfortable or think like, no, we got this, right? We've been doing this for years. But it's always great to kind of keep yourself, I always say sharpen your skills, right? And I tell our students, you know, you never stop learning. - Absolutely. - You're never too old in the game. You're never so much of an expert to still not learn more or, you know, just see experience more. And what it does, it always ends up enhancing more of your skill than developing more. And, you know, perfecting something or getting something new. So kind of changing up a little bit. And it's funny I have this question about what's your favorite meal at Q. I know what's my favorite meal at Q. But first question, because it's a two-part question. What is your favorite meal at Q? - My favorite meal at Q. The duck burnt ends. There's soft-shelled crab buns. - Oh, that's great. - That's how to salad. There's this dish that I used to make with noodles. So it was like a whole-fung noodles with shrimp. That was really good. And the beef short ribs. 'Cause I just like a fatty piece of meat. (all laughing) - Also the fried chicken too, you know? Like the fried chicken is one thing that, you know what I mean? Like if you're gonna do fried chicken, you gotta make sure you do it right. - Yes. - Yeah. - You know what I'm saying? - Thank you for talking about fried chicken. I'm like, he's not gonna mention the fried chicken. And as soon as you mention fried chicken, I'm over here doing my happy dance. Yes. - Yeah, so the fried chicken is, you know, is something that like is, fried chicken goes like a dime. Like it's in abundance everywhere, right? A lot of restaurants try to do it. So, you know, like I just had to make sure that that dish was really good. Because, you know, like your grandma could always make it better, you know what I mean? So you had to make sure that it was on point. If we're just gonna do fried chicken. And I think it's a pretty good dish. - It's an amazing dish, Raheem. Okay, I used to, it's one of my favorite dishes here. I told these ladies, like I used to mess with Raheem when I go to a queue and be like, who is back there? (laughing) I have to tell my grandma, unfortunately, there's some competition with her fried chicken. Now, part B, for our listeners who have not had a chance to yet eat at the drinking pig, what would be your top three? This is hard 'cause I have no top three, everything there I love. What would be your top three things that they must try? - So, sausage, chicken. And brisket or pulled pork, because the pulled pork to me has a lot of flavor. But, you know what I mean? That's the top three meats. And then when you go to sides, like definitely my wife's cornbread is the best cornbread that I've ever had in my life. Like, I don't know, like I tell her all the time, like, you actually put your, not your foot, your whole body in it. (laughing) That cornbread is to die for and no, like, and it's a lot of work, you know? She sits there and she's corned off the cob and, you know, blending into the batter and stuff like that. Like she barely used any cornmeal. So, you know, it's a lot of work, but it's amazing. - Tell her, yes, she puts her whole body in there. (laughing) - Yeah, her whole body in the cob. - We appreciate all that whole body that she puts in that cornbread. (laughing) - Learned this a lot, definitely a few months ago. - Oh yeah, for sure. - We're gonna hit you up at drinking pig one of these days. - I'm happy you're starting to have some competition. (laughing) - Oh wow, right. Okay, so I am a cornbread. I don't want to say expertise, but my dad and I, we compete with cornbread. Lorda says, have my cornbread. I don't think Nellie has yet been blessed to have my cornbread, but when I had your wife's cornbread, I looked at my husband, I was like, wait, I may have this, this may have topped something here. - Yeah. (laughing) - And for me to say that, you know, that's a lot, you know, I'm not too much of my horn, but you tell your wife, maybe I put my foot in mine, that's my problem, I don't put the whole body in my cornbread. (laughing) - Aw, awesome, awesome. So Raheem, we also like to ask fun questions. So lately, there have been a lot of like verses going on, and I wanted to know, who is your favorite musical artist? - Oh, that's an easy one. So I grew up listening to a lot of reggae, right? Like, I love reggae. Bujjubantan is one of my favorite reggae artists at all time. Like, I went to his last concert here in Miami. It was the best thing ever. And as a kid, like, I just grew up listening to all his music. And, you know, I just, I really, really liked Bujjubantan. For music, yeah, for sure. Like, he's, you know, everything that he talked about in the songs is everything that we live in today, you know, and it's funny, 'cause these songs were written, was written years ago. And, you know, if you go back, you can relate to his music. So I think, yeah, definitely. - I love it. Thank you for sharing. So, so a next little fun question we have is, if you had a choice between three superpowers, either being invisible, having super strength, or flying, which would you choose and why? - Flying, then I'll be able to just pick up any time and go to any restaurant, anywhere in the world I want to. - Oh, that's a good one. I'd probably be invisible and try to eat all the food. (laughing) - I just want to be able to sneak up on people. - Right? - You know, if I could fly, I could just, you know, take off and go Paris for one day and eat deer and, you know, just go everywhere, you know, go Europe, everywhere, just eat my life, my life away while I could just take off every time and it'll be dope. I think it'll be dope. - It will be dope. I think you have to have a combination of super strength and flying. - Yeah. (laughing) - Yes, of Paris. (laughing) All right, so last question. If you were shipwrecked on a deserted island and but all your human needs were taken care of. So you don't have to worry about food. You can cook a lot. There's plenty of food and water, but you can only have two items with you. What would those two items be? - Hmm, and I don't have to worry about anything. Water, food, everything is taken care of. - You're in paradise to cook everything 'cause all the food is there and water is there. - A radio. - Okay. - I don't know, an efficient food. - Oh. - Okay, that's a good one. - If everything is taken care of, then I don't have to worry about anything, right? I'm tranquil, turn off some music and fish. - Oh, I love that. No, that's a good answer. - Yeah, definitely. (laughing) - I don't know why I don't wanna be funky on an island. So I keep saying it's dope. - Some bath and body works. (laughing) - We didn't add mates and children for a while. - Oh, that's true, yeah. - Yeah, yeah, yeah. - I think I probably leave my husband at home. (laughing) - Oh, for sure. - Yeah. - And how long will you be deserted on the island? (laughing) - You know, I'd be deserted on the island, I just wanna be able to relax. 'Cause like, you know, for me, I'd go a lot. So if it's time for me to actually just be deserted and be able to take a break, I'd be the best thing ever. I wouldn't nap, I'm bleeding at all. - Yeah. - But I definitely don't want nobody there talking to me. (laughing) I just wanna be able to, yeah, I just wanna listen to some music and fish and relax. - I love it. - Awesome, awesome, awesome. Well, ladies, before we wrap up, we forgot to say something, and we just happened to, I thought about this, that we actually hit our one-year anniversary of our real-world talk spot. - Yes, we sure did. - Happy one-year anniversary. - Oh, congratulations. (laughing) - Sorry, they're looking at me like, what is she gonna talk about? (laughing) And I'm like, we did this from our homes in the pandemic. - Yeah. - You know, from whatever room we can get away to. So, congratulations, lady. And thank you, Raheem, so much. - Thank you so much, Raheem. - You guys are welcome. Thank you guys for having me, it was a pleasure. - Absolutely, and for our listeners, tune in for another episode next week and have an amazing day. [BLANK_AUDIO]