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I was born in Jamaica and raised by my grandmother. She wanted me in the kitchen with her, but I would only stay and watch her for a few minutes and then run off to play football with my friends. As I grew up, I learned my grandmother’s recipes by watching to see what she did. Over the years, my grandmother had a restaurant, and everybody in the neighborhood would come by and purchase food. When I got older, my friends would want me to come to their house and cook for them. I liked that a lot more than cooking with my grandmother. We would cook and then play football. That is where I got my first experience cooking for other people. I saw how it brought us together. I continued my passion after high school when my oldest sister suggested I attend a culinary school. In 2014, I completed culinary school and worked in a meat shop. I would stack boxes and cut meat for customers. At times, the store owner would give me meat for the employees, and customers would come in and ask who was back there cooking. In 2018, I applied for a chef position at Iberostar Hotel, but the only position available was a dishwasher. I wanted to get my foot in the door, so I took it. I was a dishwasher for one year before being promoted to kitchen helper, which involved prepping food. Soon after, I was promoted to cook B, where I cooked on the front line in front of guests, and then cook A, which trained me to be a supervisor. In the hotel, I learned time management, teamwork, patience because you can not control everything and a jovial attitude. I also learned the basics of how to run a kitchen and to train new staff. In 2020, the hotel and travel industry came to a grinding halt, and I could only work a few days a week. A chef colleague told me about private cooking, and I started private cooking at the end of 2020 and would continue through 2023. I would go to guest vacation homes, rented homes, or villas and cook for them. I learned how to shop and price food and meals in person here. I also learned in greater detail how to help people. 2019, I met my wife, Brianna, at the Iberostar Hotel. In 2023, I immigrated to Buffalo, NY, and worked at Banchetti by Rizzo (8 mos) and with Chef Darren Bryant at The Plating Society for (4 mos). In February of 2024, my daughter Janiah was born. On March 1, 2024, I had the opportunity to open my restaurant, Chef Bigwayne Jamaican Cuisine, in the West Side Bazaar.

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