Mentoring On The Line
At Bronzeville Winery, Chef Lamar Moore goes beyond the pass to foster professional development for chefs.
photo: will blunt
Chef Lamar Moore is a veteran of some of the best restaurants (and restaurant groups) in the country, and now he’s bringing that experience to the South Side of Chicago. At Bronzeville Winery, Moore is providing an underserved neighborhood with a high-quality hospitality experience while demonstrating his commitment to leadership and mentorship in the culinary community.
Moore’s connection between food and community was forged as a child. One of his grandmothers spent her time arranging dinners and lunches for the local church, while the other turned her home into a place of support for older members of the community who were without resources or families. “I saw that growing up as a kid,” explains Moore. “And, to be honest, stole some of their recipes that I still hold near and dear.”
After culinary school, Moore worked in restaurants of all sizes, hotels, and even opened a Vegas steakhouse, but he finally decided that the corporate grind wasn’t for him. “I realized that I learned how to make good money working for other people, and now I wanted to do it for myself,” recalls Moore. But, it was about more than just the money: “If I could get deeper into myself, I could do more community work.”
Fostering the professional development of young people in the Chicago culinary community has become Moore’s guiding light. He works with Olive-Harvey College on the South Side, teaching culinary students; he is a mentor through the James Beard Foundation Legacy Network; and he trains young chefs through the Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP) and ProStart. Part of the reason for his dedication is his personal journey. “I remember coming up in the culinary world. I didn’t have that many mentors,” says Moore.
As executive chef of Bronzeville Winery, one of the South Side’s few sit-down restaurants, Moore has reshaped the kitchen into a classroom and training ground to continue his work. Within the kitchen, he makes time to nurture his team’s aspirations. One of his cooks wanted to open her own empanada restaurant, and with Moore’s guidance, she has successfully hosted pop-ups around the city, and her empanada recipes are now on the menu at Bronzeville Winery. Moore also encourages education outside the kitchen, bringing his team to high-profile events and learning opportunities around the country (when we spoke, he was on his way with his team to Niman Ranch pig farms in Iowa).
“When I was younger, I didn’t see a lot of African Americans at these events. I do now,” says Moore. “They can see that they have an opportunity to do more than just be in the kitchen.“
It’s not just altruism that drives Moore; it also makes his employees better at their jobs. “It lets them learn from other chefs,” he explains. “I always say that my mom could tell me something till I turn green, but if someone else tells me, I’ll actually believe them.”
Moore’s hard work has already paid off, and he gets to see the fruits of his labor firsthand, especially when former mentees come back as employees. Many of his students come work as line cooks at Bronzeville Winery, while others also go on to find positions in restaurants throughout Chicago; thanks to connections they made through Moore. “[I’m] able to give chefs, cooks, bartenders, and servers better than what I got,” he says.
Moore now serves on the board of the Illinois Restaurant Association, championing policies that he believes in, and advocating for the Bronzeville neighborhood, a historically black community, as a place for young chefs to start restaurants and for young families to settle down.
Moore’s journey has also been personally fulfilling. Recently, Moore was working with a large grocery chain in Chicago as a culinary ambassador, when a young woman came up to him. “She looked at me and told me that I was her mentor when she was in high school, and she is now the social media manager for [the whole chain]! Those programs do help, and that right there gives me the drive to do it more and more.”
