Meet Mac Noodlez
The book of Noodlez,
At the beginning of my kitchen career, I was a dishwasher in an English Pub in San Marcos, CA. When I wasn’t scrubbing hot pots & pans I was sitting on an upside-down bucket peeling boxes upon boxes of potatoes.
One day during a busy rush, the head chef A.G Warfield tasked me with Prep work and Expo of the line. As I made the salads with height, drizzled the chocolate sauce in such a way it caught Chef’s eyes, and soon I became a line cook. This was hard work, but rewarding.
Everybody working there truly cared about the quality of food, drinks, and service. From the fryer and sauté to the grill I gained much experience and really soaked in the knowledge of each Chef that was there! From there I moved on to line cooking, then Serving at other restaurants until finally I get a break!
I get a call from my good friend Justin, a manager of a very well-known Teppan restaurant. “Noodlez, we need Teppan Chefs here and we know you just left your job as a server. Come in today and we can get you in here!”. With, reluctance I said “Teppan Chefs? You mean like Hibachi!?” “Oh yeah baby, you know it !!” Replies Justin. That same day i walk into the restaurant and get hired on the spot. My front-of-the-house and back-of-the-house experiences combine into one profession.
After 5 weeks of this wax-on wax-off mentality, I became a Teppanyaki Chef. The training was disciplined, clean, and most of all FUN. My first table is finally here.. time to tray up the vegetables and proteins, wheel my cart to the table, and begin my very first show. I fell in love with the smiles and laughs of the people. Something so special about creating memories all while cooking and doing tricks.
In 2020 all the Teppanyaki restaurants shut down. My wife and kids were wondering what I was going to do. There were a few uncertain weeks, but the second I got a little chunk of change I bought my 48-inch American Range flattop teppanyaki griddle & had my buddy Jerad make a custom stand for it. I also purchased tables, chairs, plates, forks, chopsticks, basically, everything you need for some PROPER at-home Teppanyaki. At first, my wife was hesitant, “what if this doesn’t work and we spend all this money for no reason!?” She exclaimed. “Baby trust me, this money is going to run out and then it’s back to the line cooking until the Teppan restaurants come back” I assured her it was the best thing to do, an investment.
“Ok honey, but this better work!” She said with a warming tone.
Thanks to true blessings and timing, I got my first party. One party led to two, two parties led to 4 and the next thing you know I’m on an episode of the Orange County Housewives! This led to hundreds of emails, phone calls & follows on Instagram.
This became my
Ikigai (生き甲斐, lit. ’a reason for being’) is a Japanese concept referring to something that gives a person a sense of purpose, a reason for living.
It’s been a beautiful journey filled with countless priceless memories made. This is only the beginning for Mac Noodlez’ Hibachi Grill and Senor Noodlez En La casa. Thankful to each and every single person I’ve ever cooked for. Stay tuned for more yummy goodness!
With honor,