Photos
Chef Mike Bringing the HEAT
Story by Diane Littlejohn
Photography by Jason Fischer (Ginkz)
Owners: Chef Mike
Cooking up delicious delicacies for such
A-list artists as Lil’ Jon,
Patti LaBelle, Chip Davis, Little Milton, KISS, Melissa Ethridge,
among others, Omaha Chef Mike’s catering business is one
of the best in Omaha. “Its cool to have been there and
done that,” says Chef Mike.
Born and raised on Omaha’s
north side, Chef Mike is an unlikely food connoisseur.
“Growing up in the hood was hard, I had that ghetto mentality,” says
Mike. “One day my uncle just came up to me and was like, you gotta give
up that mentality,” says Mike. “That same night, I lost my
gun, and I knew then that it was time to leave that life alone.”
A former athlete, Mike
attended UNO in the early 1980s and played for the football
team. Shortly after attending UNO and playing ball for several
local semi-pro teams, Mike made his way to Denver and entered
a practical program to learn how to be a chef. After spending
four years in Denver, Mike made his way back to Omaha. “There’s
nothing like home,” says Mike. “I had to get away
from all of the snitches in Denver, being a person of color makes
it double hard and once I started to shine, people started hating.”
Working for a number of
restaurants in Omaha, including the Boston Sea Party and being
a head chef at Rick’s Boatyard
Café, Mike decided to strike out on his own. “You
just got to play the game, get the knowledge and run with it,” says
Mike. In addition to his catering business, Mike is the
chef at the Community Café and with so many restaurants
in Omaha; Mike makes sure his business is a cut above the rest.
With a different theme everyday, including Blues Monday, Soul
Food Fridays and Taco Tuesdays, the Community Café has
an array of menu offerings. “My theme days make my restaurant
different, normally everyone in North Omaha does soul food, I
wanted a diverse menu to attract everyone, but my heart and soul
is Philly Cheesesteaks, says Mike.
photo of Chef Mike ©2006
Contributing to the local community is
also a priority for Mike and in his spare time, Mike is involved
in a healthy snack program for children with one of the first
programs being at Pearl Methodist Church. “It was interesting to see, because a lot of those
kids didn’t know things like yogurt were good,” says
Mike. “I like to talk to kids about culinary arts, have
them shadow me, show them everything necessary, let them know
it’s not a life of luxury.”
Helping in the revitalization of Omaha’s jazz scene, Chef
Mike lends his culinary skills to the Rebirth of Jazz and Blues
on 24th Street, which is held on Friday nights at the Community
Café, serving what he calls Soul Food Fusion. “I
take traditional soul food and spin it by adding new things like
greens seasoned with turkey meat and garlic, Cancun Creole oxtails,
fresh tilapia, Alize chicken, Hypnotic chicken, things like that,” says
Mike.
But
serving up delicious dishes at the Community Café won’t
be the last stop for the talented chef who hopes to one day have
Omaha’s premier jazz and blues restaurant. “I
feel like I am living my dream, in the ‘hood because that’s
always where I wanted to be,” says Mike.
Come and experience Chef Mike’s cooking at the Community
Café, located at 2401 Lake St. at Lake Point. For catering
services call 402-706-0737.Photos
