A high school stint working at his cousin’s catering business launched Chef Stephan Berrouet Durand’s culinary career. Since his early childhood, Chef Stephan always loved food and preparing it, but once he had the opportunity to serve as a catering chef his last year of high school, he knew his place was in the kitchen.

Today, Chef Stephan, president and founder of the Haitian Cultural Alliance and co-captain of Haiti’s National Culinary Team, owns his own food service, personal chef and instructional business, Culinary by Design, which he has operated since 2007. He also serves as the special event chef for Parc Historique de la canne a sucre. For the past two years he has worked with Culinary Events to produce Haiti’s Food & Spirits Festival: Gout et Saveurs Lakay. He is also the former executive chef for Le Plaza Hotel in Port-au-Prince.

Authentic Haitian food, along with other Caribbean and Latin flavors, are among Chef Stephan’s specialties.

To pursue his passion, he earned a culinary degree from Johnson & Wales University’s College of Culinary Arts. Afterwards, he deepened his knowledge and experience with numerous positions, such as joining the United States Air Force officer’s club as the catering and special events chef, eventually becoming Air Force Executive Chef and Food and Beverage Director in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. He subsequently opened two cafes for the Air Force base in Utah, where he also became a culinary trainer and instructor in the Food Services Department. In 2006, Chef Stephan opened his first restaurant, The Chronicle, for two entertainment moguls. He also worked with Young Culinary Masters, a non-profit that teaches children about healthy eating through culinary classes. He has also teamed with Fleurimond Catering for events such as Dr. Oz’s annual fundraising gala for Healthcorp.