We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Orianne Cosentino. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Orianne below.

Orianne, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

The first professional kitchen I experienced was in Paris, France. I was living there and loved making art but did not see, at the time, how painting could financially support me. So I went to work waiting tables at a restaurant in the 11th. Coming from NYC, could not accept the lack of conviviality in the French service culture so I begged the chefs, an incredibly talented Australian couple, to give me work in the kitchen so I could get away from the dining room. Luckily, they did! They were patient, I was eager, and I learned so much on Rue Sainte Marthe. It was amazing how much culinary work satisfied my artistic tendencies. I was working with tactile substances, texture, color and composition. Cooking was conceptualizing, building and sculpting, so closely related to things I studied in art school. I knew immediately it was what I wanted to do. Another reason I was so enamored with cooking from the start was that it was informed by so many things I was interested in; culture, nature, language, history. It was a vast learning field and it still is, decades later. I learn from everywhere and everyone. There is no benefit to speeding up the process, only to paying attention.
While chefs and cooks are dedicated people working in a field they love, if I had to name an obstacle it would be the low restaurant wages. Because kitchen workers often earn so little, it throws off the live/work balance, forcing people to work crazy long hours and have multiple arduous jobs.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

I am a visual artist and a professional chef and I have my home turf, New York City, to thank for these two simultaneous and deeply related passions.

I am a native New Yorker, born and raised in Queens with my adult life spent in Brooklyn. Besides a few years in Paris, France, NYC is my home and my infatuation. Most of my artwork is depictions of the city with the inclusion of found NYC parking tickets, which I collect from the street and collage into the composition of each painting, making every unique work of art a literal tiny piece of the city. This series is titled Q U O T A and it aims to evoke the energy of the city and convey its many rhythms. People who love New York often feel a connection to this work and that fills my heart with joy because I love to rep such a vibrant, exciting and generous place in the world.

Growing up in NYC, I had the honor of experiencing so many different languages, cultures, foods and lifestyles that it sparked my curiosity to learn and experience more from a young age. As soon as I could, I began to earn money, working mostly in hospitality, so that I could travel far and wide. In my travels, I quickly learned that food is a common language ready to be shared by all and I became intrigued with international cuisines and dining customs. This was long before I ever took cooking seriously but, in hindsight, I can see the interest was already developing. I traveled the world for a few years, making art, eating and coming home to earn money (in restaurants!) in between.

When the time was right, I came back to NYC to study culinary arts in a school that highlighted traditional eating styles with an emphasis on food as medicine. I realized that while good food brings everyone to the table, balanced eating has the power to profoundly improve the quality of people’s lives. With this philosophy, when I am not painting, I am cooking for private clients, some with special dietary needs and some that just want health-supportive, delicious food. Working with food has been a perfect compliment to painting since it is also a medium that requires skill, patience and creativity. It has also provided many interesting opportunities over the years such as teaching cooking classes, catering events, creating edible props for TV and film and, currently, I do some consulting in the food and beverage sector.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn that your descriptor has to be just one word. I cannot fit my story into the just word CHEF or ARTIST or TEACHER, I want to be them all. When we allow ourselves to be multifaceted and pursue our passions and interests with abandon, we realize that they all enhance each other. When I went to France to be an artist, I also studied the language while I was there. Years later, pursing the culinary arts was enhanced greatly by knowing elements of the French language which is the basis of many western culinary concepts and techniques. This is something I could not foresee or predict but it makes me trust in the multitude of things I aspire to do a little bit more.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Getting the most out of life takes effort. It is effort to overcome our trials and tribulations and immense effort to unlearn certain things that might hold us back from the life we want. I think my personal resilience is not giving up on having a unique life that reflects my beliefs and desires. Another aspect that I think is important in pursing a creative life is selflessness. It is easy to get absorbed in one’s own interests but important to remain balanced and inclusive…in my opinion!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ocosentinoart.com
• Instagram: @omcooking_ @quota_nyc

Image Credits

@quota_nyc