At 6 years old, Ronaldo Linares already knew what he wanted to be. In fact, he was already at work in the kitchen. He would stand on a milk crate while peeling potatoes at his father’s restaurant in Colombia.
Day by day, Ronaldo’s plan became clearer: One day, he was going to be a chef too.
In 1990, Colombia became too dangerous — so the Linares family moved to the United States. Few chefs would choose to start their training in the military. But Ronaldo wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps. His dad, Martino Linares, served in the U.S. Marines. Ronaldo Linares joined the Marines in 1999.
Linares signed up to be a food service specialist for the Marine Corps. Some other Marines laughed at him. But Linares said it was the next step to finding his inner “food voice.” He was in charge of feeding 6,000 Marines every day. It was hard work, and he didn’t have much help. But he got it done.
His time in the military gave Linares an early experience with American food. He began to experiment. What if he added a spice from his father’s Cuban to this meat? Could he use his mother’s style of Colombian cooking to make an arepa? Linares combined ideas from his family to cook for American troops.
The Marines loved Linares’s cooking. And the chef gained valuable skills as well. He said he “learned how to work with a small team.” Linares told News-O-Matic that he learned skills for “the world” too. He said the experience taught him “to be a leader.” Linares also said it set him up “to become an . “
After becoming a sergeant, Linares left the military in 2003. Now a veteran, Chef Ronaldo keeps cooking — but not just for troops. He worked at his family’s restaurant in New Jersey. He has also written cookbooks and appeared on cooking shows.
Chef Ronaldo believes people should have passion in their work. For kids still looking to find theirs, Linares has advice. “Be yourself, and be fearless,” he said.
“Understanding how to be yourself is the key to success,” Linares added. “The other stuff will take care of itself.”
Updated November 10, 2021, 5:02 P.M. (ET)
By Tyler Burdick
