WRITTEN BY: HANNAH MCKINNEY | INTERVIEWED BY: NATALIE T. STEGER
Photography courtesy of Chef David Schoen.
Raised in Latin America and Europe, Chef David Schoen is known as a culinary explorer. Schoen describes his life as a kid as constantly moving with his family to new places before landing in Chicago, where his father is originally from. These experiences have all influenced his culinary journey, though he would say that he is “more Panamanian than anything.” Schoen's first real connection with food was during this time in Chicago. He tells us about his father’s interest in grilling and close relationship to a local butcher; this led to Schoen’s interest in food and grilling.
Later, when Schoen was in high school, he began watching shows on the Food Network and loved the personalities shown on the channel. This is where he started to have the idea that he could apply himself to an area that was interesting to him, unlike many subjects he endured in school. During the interview, Sc...