Miami Culinary Institute Student Aims To Be The DJ Khaled Of Latin Cuisine
As his mom battled thyroid and breast cancer in 2018, Christian Barruos-Brens—then a 16-year-old high school student at Miami Lakes Educational Center—searched for a way to help.
Prior to her diagnosis, the teenager developed a passion for the culinary arts. Serving as her unofficial sous chef in their Hialeah kitchen, he inhaled the scents of her Dominican-flavored dishes.
“Christian used to help me, since he was six or seven years of age, [saying] ‘mom let me help you cut up little pieces of cheese’ or ‘can I help serve fruit to the guests?’ ” Celeste recalls.
So as she braved through radiation and chemotherapy sessions, Christian turned to what bonded him and his mom, the kitchen, to help. He opened Moonlight Brownies, now known as Moonlight Sweets.
“I didn’t have a car when I started out so I had to figure out a plan. I used to ride my bike up to four miles to deliver to clients,” said Christian, who eventually found a way to deliver his original brownie creations via popular food delivery apps. “I had Uber Eats drivers showing up to my mom’s house like [it was] a ghost kitchen.”
Today, Christian—with his mom now cancer free—is perfecting his craft as a student at the Miami Culinary Institute where he is pursuing an associate in science degree in culinary arts. He is scheduled to graduate next spring.
In his first year at MCI, the 20-year-old, whose face is often adorned with a wide smile, has made an impression on his peers and professors.
“Being around people who have the same goals as you is a different experience,” said Christian’s classmate, Noelia Hidalgo, who teamed with him to create a gourmet burger using the young chef’s signature sauce. “It’s just such an easy environment to be in, especially [when] you share that drive to learn and passion for food.”
Miami-based chef and MCI instructor Patrick McCurry, who has taught Christian in two classes, lauds his natural leadership skills.
“It was instilled in him to know it’s not about himself,” McCurry said. “It’s about the team.”
Christian, who is in the Rising Scholars Program at MDC, describes his cooking style as “fusing the vibrant flavors of Latin and Caribbean cuisine,” to pay homage to the Dominican and Cuban cultures he was raised in.
Some of his favorite concoctions include barbecue ribs infused with Brandy, a Dominican peas-and-rice-inspired risotto and homemade veggie burgers that feature sofrito, white beans, sweet potatoes and a caramelized mango onion jam.
But his most personal creation is the Cafecito Brownie. It mimics a colada shot being poured over a brownie. The chocolate confection was inspired by his dad, Fernando Barruos, who had a penchant for drinking Cuban coffee. He passed away during Christian’s senior year in high school.
Christian promotes his passion for the culinary field on his Instagram page, @ChefChristian_LLC, which is brimming with posts featuring his high-octane energy and videos of the numerous appearances he makes throughout the week.
Recently, he made cupcakes, burgers and Dominican-style cakes with dulce de leche for two I AM MDC celebrations, flexed his BBQ skills at a 4th of July outing at Hialeah Campus and served up brownies and milkshakes at North Campus’ Juneteenth event.
That hustle is paying off. His Instagram page, which now has more than 3,000 followers, caught the attention of a television producer in Colombia and earned him a spot on a cooking show, Batalla En Abuela’s Kitchen, now airing on the Roku Channel.
This fall, he will be part of the Spanish-language series, La Fuerza de Creer, on Univision that spotlights Hispanic empowerment. On set, he coached actors to be authentic on screen chefs and created the dishes and recipes that are featured on the show.
Known to his peers as Chef Christian, the rising Instagram-entrepreneur is hoping that notoriety will fuel his future. He dreams of someday owning a catering and banquet hall business to provide services for large scale events.
“I want to be like the next Dave Grutman,” he said with a chuckle. “Or maybe the DJ Khaled of cuisine.
To place an order or to get a full menu of Christian Barruos-Brens offerings, message him on his Instagram page @ChefChristian_LLC.
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