In the Kitchen with DeVoria Simmons

DeVoria Simmons specializes in Asian and Caribbean cuisine. She’s a master at combining disparate flavors, like the earthiness of her favorite protein—duck—with the sweetness of an orange-and-cherry glaze. She’s a whiz at menu design and kitchen management. And with decades of restaurant industry and food service experience in cities from Houston to New York, she’s as seasoned a chef as you’re likely to find.

But Simmons’ true passion lies beyond the kitchen: It’s in the classroom where her heart soars.

Simmons is a natural teacher, and the success of her students is her inspiration. Her real joie de vivre lies in giving back to others—and teaching them to give back as well. It’s a virtuous circle that keeps on turning, reaching people who Simmons knows she may never meet.

“Being a teacher, I am able to transform people’s lives from having no hope to having hope—to having a future,” Simmons says. “My vision about community is to be able to have young people grow up to have an open mind to the world, and not just see things as black and white, but to see the color in the world. In order to achieve that, I have to touch one student at a time, and that one student might touch two people, and then the world will change.”

And so many of those lucky enough to have been Simmons’ students are doing just that. Harold Villarosa went from working at a McDonald’s to Thomas Keller’s three-Michelin-star Per Se in Manhattan. But instead of continuing to pursue a career in high-end restaurants, Villarosa dedicated his life to helping kids from his struggling South Bronx neighborhood. He launched the Insurgo Project, a nonprofit that teaches inner-city youth how to grow and cook their own food—and to connect them with food industry jobs.

Another former student, Elle Simone Scott, launched SheChef, Inc., a culinary mentorship and networking community for women of color. With more than 1,000 members, the group aims to uplift and connect women who might not otherwise find a path in a highly competitive, predominantly white- and male-dominated industry.

In 2004, Simmons began teaching at Star Career Academy in New York, a trade school where students who can’t afford the prestigious Culinary Institute of America or the Institute of Culinary Education go to learn the skills needed to find a place in the massive restaurant economy, says Simmons.

“All of my students were minority students, and some were people who had been in prison, who were looking for that second chance,” she says. “And I was that teacher that mentored them, that took them to functions to expose them to chefs out there in the industry that were African American, or Hispanic, or Asian. It really gave me a sense of contribution. And for me, that’s what it’s always been about—making a difference.”

In 2014, Simmons declined the department chair position at Star Academy to return to her native Detroit. After living away more than 30 years, she was ready to move on to the next chapter of her life: making a difference in the lives of teens.

“I felt like teens are the most confused, and they’re looking for guidance and structure and discipline, and I knew that I could give them all of that,” she says. “And I knew that what that would do was give them a foundation, not only for a culinary career, but in life.”

So Simmons began teaching high school, first in Detroit and now in Southfield. She also teaches at Dorsey Culinary Academy. Her courses range from baking to nutrition to sanitation. Most importantly to Simmons, she teaches her students about community—and giving back.

Simmons doesn’t always know when or how she makes a difference in a student’s life. Sometimes it’s only years later that she finds out about the impact she’s had, like the time she ran into a former student who later had been incarcerated, and who introduced her to his family as the person who had “changed his life.”

She says her students want to be in her classes because they feel inspired.

“For me, it’s all about that service. And I feel like I give service through culinary education.”