Today we’d like to introduce you to Amina Ly. Them and their team share their story with us below:
Amina Ly‘s culinary career began over 20 years ago. With most of her formal training in France and Italy, she received her Masters of International Culinary Chef degree at TuChef in Rome. Her travels and encounters with exotic ingredients and spices inspired her curiosity and passion for cooking. Her experiences influenced every aspect of her cooking. She has worked in the best kitchens in Europe, impressive luxury yachts at the Grand Prix of Monte Carlo or Cannes Film Festival, the Genoa and Antigua boat show and independent restaurants, where dignitaries, politicians, and celebrities.
Chef Amina owned Cote Gourmet a high-end 5-star restaurant that UNFORTUNATELY closed during the pandemic. On August 21st, 2022, Chef Amina will debut in one of the Food Network show Alex V vs America where she competes against the famous Chef Alex V executing French cuisine. Amina says cooking is her happy element and she loves to hear her daughter, father, sister and niece and patrons rave about the dishes she executes with so much love. We look forward to seeing Chef Amina’s continuous evolution and embark in new adventures!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
In the middle of the pandemic, I had to close my restaurant that I poured so much love, heart & soul into and acquired it at a 2-star status & in less than a year I brought it up to a 5-star. In the midst of the pandemic, I was clueless my then-husband stated he wasn’t pleased living in my shadow and blindsided me when he asked me to take our daughter on vacation to Italy for 2 weeks and he actually kidnapped her and kept her trying to force me to leave everything we had built because he was tired of being known as Chef Amina husband. I felt devastated and defeated I wanted to die cause all I cared about was having my daughter with me. It’s been a year and three months since I last saw my daughter physically. I am finally divorced and working towards having my daughter return to me. It’s been the worse year of my life. However, I found myself in the midst of chaos.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a Masters of International Culinary Chef. I can cook diverse cuisines; however, my specialties are Senegalese, French, and Italian cuisine.
How do you think about luck?
In the midst of closing my restaurant and not having my daughter with me. I had to gather myself and reinvent myself and started consulting for an Italian hospitality group that own various high-end restaurants. Then, I was approached to be the Executive Chef at Café Crème in North Miami Beach. I started working with my current PR firm and told her that one of my goals was to be on the Food Network and that dream came to fruition and I will appear on the upcoming episode of Alex V vs America French segment on August 21st.
Contact Info:
- Website: chefaminaly.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/chefamina_ly
- Other: https://linktr.ee/chefamina_ly
Photo Credit: Tracey Hagen
