Waylynn: "My Work Speaks for Itself"

What an episode. It is so nice to see the many different facets of the food world in this episode and see so many of the ladies in action!

Food & Wine is an amazing event, and I was honored to as well have participated. It really requires so much work to prepare food in those large quantities, to transport and serve everything out of a little booth for thousands of people. There is a great expectation from attendees and fellow chefs to put out perfect food, which adds such additional pressure to already existing stress. I think this episode gives you a good inside view of what it is like for all of us.

A special shout out to Nina for pulling off 2,000 portions of food in such a short notice and successfully taking part in her first big food event. Such an accomplishment, especially as a free-standing woman without a restaurant. I must say I admire Nina’s ability to take on any challenge with a positive hardworking attitude and with such grace. I was also so impressed with Nina’s quick decision to remedy her melon problem with making sorbet. Way to go, Chef!

As for Brenda, I loved to see her in action, running the red carpet, and taking care of business. Publicists play a huge part in these events and really are the people behind the scenes getting stuff done for us, all while taking a load of shit from us chefs.

I got such a kick out of watching Jessica with her feisty spirit getting stuff done and wanting to get it done perfectly. She takes what she does so seriously, and it was nice to see her get the reward of being a part of Food & Wine and setting it off without a hitch! 

In particular, this episode holds a special place in my heart as it documents celebration of fonuts’ one-year anniversary -- aday and a moment I will never forget as long as I live. We still have so far to go as a business, though I could not be more proud of Nancy and I for our success and making it one year when so many other businesses fail in the first year. It is a huge milestone for me personally and professionally. 

Fonuts represents so much for me. It represents all my years and years of hard work, the relationships I have made along the way, and the ones that I lost. All the early experiences in my career that gave me the know-how to successfully open my own business. The new friends I have made through opening fonuts, in particular the outstanding friendship I gained with my business partner Nancy. The unconditional support we received from the Los Angeles community whom continue to be an integral part of fonuts’ success. The realization of my dreams coming true right before my eyes. The list could go on and on forever.

This is why I took offense to and was saddened by the "One Year In" Eater article and Kat’s carelessness with it.

I do read Eater and appreciate the site’s contribution to the culinary world. The one thing you need to know about me is that I am a very forgiving person. I am mellow, laid back, I avoid drama, and choose to never get caught up in it, and avoid it at all costs. I don’t think it serves a positive purpose so I choose to not waste my time with it. I like to stay focused, be kind, do good, work hard, live in the moment, mind my own business and not concern myself with rumors and gossip.

However there are a few things that I am very passionate about and will defend endlessly: my work, my business, and my loved ones.

In this instance, when I felt something so important to me was not taken seriously and was disrespected, I got upset, and am going to defend it. I was disappointed to see how Kat handled the conversation when I confronted her. She never took full responsibility, only made excuses for things that might have gone wrong, leading to a misrepresentation of facts. Kat states that “if she doesn’t care, I don’t care.” Regardless of what I “care” about, Kat published an article with factual inaccuracies. As an editor, I would hope she would care to publish accurate articles with integrity. 

My work and reputation as a chef is very important to me. I worked 80 to 90-hour work weeks for years to get to where I am in my career and to gain respect within the industry. I sacrificed every holiday, every weekend, every ounce of a social life for my career. The only person who could ever take credit for discovering me was the very first French pastry chef I worked for, who brought me on to which I then earned myself the title of being Pastry Chef for one of the world's most renowned chefs, Jose Andres, who I am forever grateful for teaching me so much and putting me on the map in the culinary world.

My work speaks for itself. Everything I do is high-end; just because it might not fit a specific or pretentious mold does not mean that I don’t use only the best ingredients, and use all my knowledge and experience as a chef to create wonderful quality products and to continue to learn and perfect my work.

My passion is not only to create great-tasting food, but to make it accessible to everyone, and to bring a smile to peoples faces. I want to create a fun, comfortable, relaxed, and memorable experience for everyone. It is so much more than just making food taste good. It is about making memories for people, creating a memorable moment of happiness for someone.  

If there is one thing I regret it is not having Kat change the article. I am not quite sure why I didn’t, especially considering there were at least three mistakes alone in the first paragraph. I guess I just didn’t want to make a bigger deal of it. I just wanted her to know I was upset as to avoid harboring any resentments, and having any bad blood between us. Though I do realize something so important to me should have been corrected, especially as it is on the World Wide Web foreer! So, I guess a lesson learned there. 

I hope you continue to watch and follow me on twitter @waylynnlucas to stay up to date on what’s going on with me, Eat Drink Love, and, of course, fonuts! Follow fonuts on twitter too! @fonuts