The Making of a Chef

“My Francis Tuttle experience was one of the best things that could have happened to me and one of the greatest decisions I made."

At just 7 years old, Jessie Gomez knew he wanted to be a chef. That childhood dream never faded, and his time at Francis Tuttle Technology Center helped make it a reality. 

Gomez, who graduated from Edmond Santa Fe High School in 2017, attended Francis Tuttle’s Culinary Arts program as a high school student. There, along with essential culinary skills, Gomez learned “little details that have made the biggest impact and gotten me to the jobs that I’ve had,” like how to be organized, think ahead, stay humble, and more. 

“My Francis Tuttle experience was one of the best things that could have happened to me and one of the greatest decisions I made,” Gomez shared.

Gomez grew up in a family that loved cooking, which worked out well because he loved eating. He recalls watching TV chefs like Marco Pierre White and Gordon Ramsay and being drawn to what they were doing. That interest in cooking never went away, so Gomez started learning the skill, taking home economics in middle school and attending Francis Tuttle after his two older siblings, who both attended the technology center, recommended it to him.

After graduation, Gomez worked his way up from dishwasher to sous chef at Cafe 501 in Edmond. He later applied to Chicago’s renowned Alinea Group. After a one-day trial run working in the kitchen, Gomez received a job offer for one of the group’s restaurants. Gomez then worked at nearly 20 Michelin-starred restaurants in Chicago, embracing the opportunity to absorb as much as possible before feeling drawn to return to Oklahoma and share what he learned. 

Currently, Gomez works as the executive sous chef at Birdies by Chef Kevin Lee, a Korean steakhouse located in Edmond. Before starting at Birdies, Gomez was not familiar with Korean cuisine. For him, the opportunity to constantly learn is one of the greatest things about cooking. Gomez also hosts a pop-up concept that fuses Mexican and Korean flavors.

“I wish I could travel back in time and tell 7-year-old me to just keep going because I think for the first time, I’ve been able to see who I wanted to become, and I am living it,” Gomez expressed. “It encourages me to keep going and share my story and encourage people who are maybe down. This is a very, very tough career, but I encourage people to never give up.”