At 6 years old, Ronaldo Linares knew what he wanted to be. In fact, he was already working in the kitchen. He peeled potatoes at his father’s restaurant in Colombia.
Day by day, Ronaldo’s plan became clearer. 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 start training in the military. But Ronaldo wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps. His dad, Martino Linares, was in the U.S. Marines. Ronaldo Linares joined in 1999.
Linares signed up to be a food service specialist. Some other Marines laughed at him for that. But Linares said it was the next step to finding his inner “food voice.” He had to feed 6,000 Marines every day. It was hard work, and he didn’t have much help. But he got it done.
Linares got an early experience with American food. He began to experiment. He added spice from his father’s Cuban . He used his mother’s style of Colombian cooking too. Linares combined ideas from his family to cook for American troops.
The Marines loved Linares’s cooking. And the chef gained skills as well. He said he “learned how to work with a small team.” Linares said he learned skills for “the world” too. He said the experience taught him “to be a leader.” Linares also said it helped him “become an . “
Linares left the military in 2003. Now a veteran, Chef Ronaldo keeps cooking. He ran his family’s restaurant in New Jersey. He’s written cookbooks. And he’s been on cooking shows.
Chef Ronaldo believes people should have passion in their work. Linares has advice. “Be yourself,” he said. “And be fearless.”
Updated November 10, 2021, 5:01 P.M. (ET)
By Tyler Burdick
