“I just said what the hell and went for it.”
—Joshua Valentine
Born and raised in Oklahoma City, Joshua Valentine has made his mark working in great kitchens throughout the west. But this chef, now known for his obsession with bacon, first got interested in food when he was counting calories in order to make a certain weight to compete in wrestling competitions. Joshua’s first exposure to professional cooking came at age nineteen when he started cooking in a Mexican restaurant, but then he joined the army and didn’t think about a culinary career until after he got out. It wasn’t until a friend saw an advertisement for Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Minneapolis that Joshua finally decided to make cooking a career.
After he graduated with an associate degree in applied science, Joshua says, “I’m constantly inspired by the traditions of food. Things people have been doing hundreds of years that we are still doing today.” So, he went on to gain experience at a variety of restaurants, including Restaurant Alma in Minneapolis and Local in Dallas. Joshua continued his culinary career in Dallas, where he joined Stephan Pyles at Samar by Stephan Pyles as line cook and sous-chef. There, he met Matt McCallister (see entry in Part 4), which eventually led him to the job at Matt’s restaurant, FT33. Joshua says, “I called him and told him, I would love to move back to Dallas and work with you, and he told me the only position he had open was pastry chef.” Pastry is not actually Joshua’s specialty, but he figured between Matt and himself, they could make it work.
Joshua’s first tattoo was a bulldog that says “U.S. Army.” He got the ink right after he finished boot camp. Even though Joshua wasn’t in the army for long, his father was in the army and his brother was a Marine who served for eleven years and did two tours of duty in Iraq, so he felt he was honoring the family tradition. Joshua also has the names of his three daughters tattooed on his right arm, along with one of his more prominent tattoos, a pig. “I’ve been tagged as this chef that loves pork. Obviously I love the animal, and to me it is just one of those chef tattoos.” Joshua is not finished yet and has more culinary-inspired pieces planned. He has tons of ideas, and some of them may turn into reality. He says, “I think chefs are obsessed with food, and what better way to show it off than on your body?”
Joshua gained a lot of fame in 2012 as a contestant on Season Ten of Top Chef, where he made it to the final four contestants. He has recently left FT33 to return to his native Oklahoma, where he is opening the George Steakhouse as the executive chef. He wants to help the state gain national recognition for its food scene.
