Mom’s Basement & Michelin-Starred Restaurants

On Chef’s Sakari’s Journey with Noble Promise

by Chris Lucero

Why did you decide to start your business?

I wanted to leave an impact, and I want to leave a legacy for future generations.

Are you the first one in your family to do this type of work?

My dad had a restaurant back in the day, but it failed and his partner ended up running away with all the money. So growing up, I was always nervous to do partnerships and stuff like that. But, as time went on, I started to have a thing for cooking. It became the thing that I was really good at and that led me to launch my provisions company. I focused on products that are scalable, that can leave an impact, that are healthy for you, and nourish the soul. And with that, there’s a lot of partnerships involved. I guess, my family did have some type of entrepreneurship in that respect.

What advice would you give to someone starting their own business?

I think if you’re going to start your own business, you have to be prepared to fail. And you can’t be scared to fail. Once you get in love with the idea of failing, you realize that you’re just learning and you’re getting closer to the end goal…fall in love with failure…[and] remember your reason why you’re doing it. For me, it’s my father, who passed away two years ago. He was my best friend and he inspired me a lot. Since he died from complications from health, I realized...what you put in your body actually affects your health. Once I realized that, I started going down this path. I want to create delicious food that nourishes your body and soul, and doesn’t make you feel bad. That’s my reason why, and once you find your own, hold on to that, keep it close.

How would you say you deal with fear while starting your food business?

I embrace it. If you feel fear, that means you’re on the track to something special. If you’re uncomfortable, you’re actually doing something really good because you’re not used to it … If I’m ever scared of something, I try to tackle it head on. Because I know that on the other side of it is something really good.

Nice. What about when you dealt with doubt?

There’s always some type of self-doubt but I think you just have to have confidence in yourself … Go back to the reason why. Forget the doubt, forget the naysayers, forget he said-she said, and just really attack it. Just remember your reason why.

you could fail is if you give up. That’s why pivoting, changing courses and directions, and stuff like that is so important.

Where do you see your business in five to ten years?

The sky’s the limit! We’re looking to open up a studio in Brooklyn. Along with the restaurant, we’re looking to have our provisions and products all over the country speading the brand. A brand takes 10 years to build. So this, to me, is my Nike swoosh. People purchase Nike because of the brand they’ve built. Once you build the brand and make it mean something to the people, well then, you have something that can live on forever. And that’s the goal.

How would you say your business looks different now from when you started?

When I started, it was literally just an idea and … pop-ups… We were taking apartments that weren’t being utilized, and we were introducing our restaurant experience “Noble Promise.” That’s how it started, right? We started off in my mom’s basement doing research and development on recipes. I turned the entire basement into an R&D kitchen and turned my childhood room into my office. From there, it’s pivoted multiple times. We launched a media company, because we felt that telling stories is very important. If you can tell a story, then you can create sales. Once that wasn’t creating enough sales, per se, via ads or brand partnerships and things like that, we pivoted to a provisions company. That’s our way of being able to have something scalable and something that we can sell to people. So it’s constantly changed, but we never veered off too much… from the end goal. We just want to introduce good food and good experiences to people, right? People that look like us. People that are less fortunate, people that might not be knowledgeable in food. The goal is still the same. It’s just the ”how” sometimes changes.

How did your decide on what to name your business?

My mom gave me this name. Sakari means “noble promise.” Growing up, I always felt like I was destined for greatness. I used to get picked on for my name, but then when my mom instilled in me that my name means something, saying “It means you have a promising future. Make sure to keep to your word.” I thought this is the perfect name for our brand, because I wanted it to instill the same level of confidence, the same level of love and passion into other people.

How would you say your business is different from other businesses?

We’re really, really interested in technology and the blockchain. For people that don’t know, the blockchain is basically a digital ledger. It’s a way to store and have receipts of who owns what, basically..I think [the blockchain] is going to change the world for the next 15 years. We’re looking at ways to incorporate that into what we do. I think technology is a huge one, you know, looking at web3, we’re looking at AI (artificial intelligence), we’re looking at the blockchain, the whole infrastructure. And then besides that, I think, also just what makes you different is you. There’s only one you in the world. So what makes it different ist me, and the culture and the values that I bring to the table. And I think that’s something that a lot of people learn from.

What’s the biggest learning experience you’ve had building your business?

To pivot. There’s this book out by the guy that made Waze [GPS App] … he said “fall in love with the problem, not the solution.” So what that means is like, ”what are you trying to fix?” The solution is your company, right? Anytime you start a business, you’re always trying to fix a problem, right? I would say don’t get overly attached to your initial thought. Fall in love with moreso the problem you’re trying to fix. And understand that it’s OK to change course.

How do you define success?

I think success is happiness. For me, I feel like I was put on this earth for a purpose, a real reason, and I want to be able to achieve that purpose. I achieved that reason, and that’s what makes me happy, along with taking care of my family, leaving a legacy. That to me, is success.

What advice would you give to young chefs just starting out? How can they be successful and fulfilled?

I would say, don’t look up for 10 years. Put your head down and work for 10 years. People don’t want to hear that. But I think that’s really the truth. … For me, what’s helped is that I was able to put my head down and work. And while working, learn from some of the best in the world. Choose someone that you want to be like. Work for them for free, figure out how to get in there. I literally just banged on so many doors, working for free in some of the best places in the world for some of the best people. Whether that’s Gary Vaynerchuk, whether that’s Eleven Madison Park. I went overseas to the Netherlands, and I lived with six other roommates, I ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches every day, you know, barely even had a sink to brush my teeth. I would say you really gotta want it … once you’ve built the base [and] the knowledge, then you can do whatever you want. Now you have more leverage. I think the best thing is to become an expert. Once you’re an expert, people are going to want to hear what you have to say. People are going to want to do partnerships with you, people want to give you money. But you have to learn first.

What do you look for when hiring new people?

Somebody that’s personable, somebody who can listen, someone who is a team player. I don’t really care about skillset. I believe anyone can be trained. You just have to be a nice, good person. I think everything else can be taught to you as long as you have a good work ethic.

Can you describe a time when you had to overcome a significant challenge or setback in your culinary career?

Anytime something doesn’t work out the way you want it to, it’s leading to something else better. I remember one time I was cooking for a really high clientele person, one of the best basketball stars in the NBA right now. I was proud of myself. And I hated it. I didn’t like it. It didn’t have the freedom that I wanted. I was making the most money I’ve ever made. But I didn’t like it. So we ended up parting ways and that that could [be seen as] a failure.. But I took that as leading me to the next thing. Sometimes things need to go into a new direction and you just gotta have faith.

What is something you would never compromise on with your business?

My morals. I’ll never take money for things that are unreliable. The reason why is that all you have is your word. If you compromise that, you’re done. People are never going to trust your word. It’s over. I’ve never changed my morals for anyone.

Follow can follow Chef Sakari at @Sakarismithwick

Sakari Smithwick started his culinary career by learning from some of the best chefs in New York, working at Eleven Madison Park, Marea, and Restaurant Tribeca. During his time with Ukiyo, the restaurant earned a Michelin star.

Chef Sakari has been featured on cooking competition shows like Chopped and Hell’s Kitchen. Sakari Smithwick is now developing his brand, Noble Promise, with the goal of making food that nourishes your body and soul.