Jamilka Borges’ Dear Rust Belt

ESSAY

Jul 25

Chef Jamilka Borges’ letter to the Rust Belt hospitality community

I've spent almost two decades in the Steel City. It’s crazy to think about how time passes you by. When I first moved to Pittsburgh, I never imagined how my career would end up. I saw cooking as a way to grieve and as a way to escape the deep depression I was going through after losing my dad at 18 years old. I wanted out of the hot tropic, away from my overbearing family, and away from the outdated traditions of my island.

I started working in a restaurant that was truly ahead of its time, at least in the region. There were so many ingredients and techniques that I was completely unfamiliar with, and it opened my eyes to a whole new world. I was also going through a major culture shock. The Rust Belt is full of tradition, craft, and pride; but, just like my island of Puerto Rico, it has suffered from the decay of deindustrialization. There are the struggles of keeping its population, economic decline, and the pain of constantly being overlooked and passed over. But, I fell in love with the people, the stories, the beautiful landscape, and the fight of so many who believe in their cities and their crafts, and who push for a new future.

Cooking in the Rust Belt is learning to cook against all odds. It means relying on the community to fund projects and find capable staff. It means connecting with your farmers and makers in order to get the variety of crops you want. It also means that people are used to the “meat and potatoes” menu and typically stay away from change. That itself, though, has started to change, albeit slowly. Unlike New York City and other more bustling destinations, people do not always move to our cities to live their culinary dreams. Most do it as a way to survive, and that is okay. Rather than being upset or frustrated by that, I have learned to love it, to see an opportunity to train and mentor new talent, to inspire and to hopefully share the passion that brought me here

It took me a long time to be able to set my own hours, my own rules. When I thought I was ready for my restaurant, I tried to do it during a global pandemic. It was a big failure. I crashed, I took time to refocus, and I tried again. This time it worked. I learned a lot of lessons, including how to ask for advice from the people around me. I found the perfect partner; we bring out the best in each other and continue to support one another when the craziness and challenges of being first-time owners become overwhelming.

What is important in our industry is how resilient the people are; challenges are thrown at us and we just roll with it. The Rust Belt was hit really hard by the punch of the pandemic. I know we will survive this. As I see friends and former coworkers doing their thing, I can't help but be optimistic. Seeing them cook the food they love without compromise is inspiring. Seeing more female-owned restaurants, cafes, bakeries, and bars opening makes me happy. The perseverance is inspiring, and I’m rooting for every single one of us.