My name is David Laudicina, 29, and I love to cook. I was raised in southern California, and from a young age, I discovered a passion for art and creativity that was unique amongst my peers, but didn't stumble upon my passion for cooking until I moved to Los Angeles for college. The plethora of culinary eccentricity native to LA sparked a passion in me for various Asian cuisines; I found myself managing a local restaurant in Westwood, LA, and after I moved to the valley, I started working at some local restaurants. Doors started to open in the restaurant industry and I found myself designing menus, training line cooks, managing kitchens, and now operating as a private chef providing amazing food to amazing people.
What services do you offer as a personal chef?
Four different services: Cooking classes, catering, meal prep, and personal in-home dining. Go ahead and click this link for more details and pricing.
Do you have a cooking/ service specialty or a focus?
Healthy, seasonal, organic, animal-based diets are my forte, from steak to sushi, to organic seasonal fruits and vegetables. Ever since I started studying food as if it were a science, I began to realize that almost all the "food" that is advertised to us here in America is not really food at all. Full of processed grains, seed oils, additives, pesticides and chemicals, the effect that food has on our bodies is grossly understated, and as much as I love cooking, knowing that what I'm feeding people is actually good for them I love all the more.
Why did you want to be a chef?
This is hard to describe. I don't believe I chose cooking, but rather cooking chose me. Chefdom was never something I aspired to or even really knew existed, but I felt a constant urge from God to delve into entrepreneurship, and I really couldn't think of anything else I wanted to do to besides cooking. I had always excelled in restaurants as a dishwasher or prep cook, worked hard everywhere I went, but when I got hired as a saute chef at a high-end French restaurant in Los Angeles when I was twenty years old, I quickly realized two things: 1.) I didn't know how to cook AT ALL, and 2.) I definitely didn't want to work for somebody else for the rest of my life. Essentially enslaving yourself to the demands of the nine to five, to your boss, and to the lifestyle was the last thing I wanted for myself. I enjoy freedom. I enjoy art and creativity. I enjoy coloring outside the lines, and what I quickly noticed is that the industry sucks all of those things out of cooking. So, long story short, I got a few cook books, studied some online courses, and worked relentlessly at home studying everything from yeast breads to sous vide. Doors started to open for me in the restaurant industry and I found myself designing menus, training line cooks, managing kitchens, and now operating as a private chef not only providing amazing food to amazing people, but revitalizing an industry that has been greyed and disheartened.
If you're not in the kitchen- what are some of your hobbies & interests?
My number one passion is Jesus Christ. From reading the Bible to praying, it's what I do no matter where I'm at. I'm also a musician; I play drums and piano, so practicing, rehearsing for events, listening to new music is my jam alongside cooking. Lastly, I always like to stay active; whether it be calisthenics, golfing, or just relaxing outdoors, staying healthy and fit is a foundational joy of mine as well.
What's your favorite restaurant?
My favorite restaurant is Roy's Hawaiian Fusion in San Diego. Chef Roy Yamaguchi started experimenting with Hawaiian, Japanese, and Chinese flavors utilizing French technique and plating style in the 1980's and opened his first restaurant in Hawaii in 1988. He would later open a few in southern California, and my family and I would frequent the restaurant every Mother's Day. I still remember the first time I had their Szechuan Baby Back Ribs; easily the best dish I've ever had, and coupled with amazing service and great ambience, it quickly became a place I'll never forget.
What's your favorite thing to cook for yourself?
A perfectly seared, oven-roasted rack of lamb, spaghetti di mare, or traditional sushi and sashimi. I enjoy simplicity, and have warred endlessly with the insecurities that lurk beneath the surface of modest restraint. There's a place for modesty and a place for lavishness, but what I've come to find is 1.) it takes an incredibly mature person and chef to, not only, advance his/her skill level to the point of mastering certain techniques and cooking all types of food well, but after that, to humble oneself and actually get out of the way so that 2.) the natural beauty and flavors of the ingredients can shine brighter than the chef's limelight or desire thereof. I feel these dishes, indeed, require technique and knowledge, awareness of quality, timing, excellence, but also display a beauty that only simplicity can provide. And... well..they taste awesome.
What do you love about the Private Chef Lifestyle?
The private chef lifestyle is fantastic for so many reasons. One being it allots a chef the freedom to be creative, set their own schedule, and manage their own business in a way they see fit. But secondly, and more importantly, it allows people to build relationships and fellowship over one of the most important things in our society: FOOD! So often our gatherings concerning food have only one thing in common: eating. The consumer mentality, especially here in America, has eradicated the life, joy, fellowship, passion, and meaning out of food and cooking, but the private chef lifestyle changes everything. Relationships are built; time and effort can be given to each and every person, each and every meal, each and every ingredient, with dedication and heart; I've always wanted food to mean something more than just silencing hunger, and being a private chef allows me to do exactly that.
