“I was suspended over 50 times in high school. But for some reason, I did really well in this cooking class, always.”

In an interview with Tenderly, Chef Edwin Anthony Rodriguez shares his journey as a Nuyorican vegan chef. He shares his experience helping patients as a hospital dietician, appearing on Chopped, and the high school teacher who inspired him to pursue a career as a chef.

Read the entire interview below.

Chef Edwin Anthony Rodriguez Has Seen It All, From Hospital Dietician to Contestant on ‘Chopped’