On The Line With... Ed Tinoco

Ed Tinoco cooks and dresses with style. At the age of 28, he became the youngest chef to take the reins at Chicago’s finest restaurant, NEXT, offering a premier fine-dining experience with a new menu every month. When he’s not cooking, Ed is collecting, adding on to his extensive catalogue of fire kicks. From Tom Sachs Marsyards to classic Nike Blazers, Ed Tinoco is a big time sneakerhead. Despite not being in the thick of kitchen service that usually comes during the week, Ed and his fellow kitchenmates are still cheffing up meals to-go to help keep the restaurant flowing. Besides kitchen duties, Ed can be found in his apartment in Chicago still flexing with his many Supreme pieces and various limited sneakers and spending some quality time with his wife and dogs. We caught up with the young chef for our latest installment of On The Line With…

Describe what you do for a living and how you are adjusting to social distancing.

Sup, I’m Ed. I live in Chicago and like most of you I’m also trying to find ways to adapt during this state of quarantine. I work in restaurants and we are one of the industries getting hid hard right now. Thankfully, I work for a company that was able to quickly re-strategize our operations. We started doing meals to-go and it seems to be very popular. This means we can create job opportunities for our employees during these tough times; a lot of other people are out of work and we are thankful to be able to provide this. Social distancing doesn’t affect me as much as it does others because I’m still at work most of the time. I think I am most affected by my down time. I had to evaluate how I spent days off so that I could stay active and positive. This is beneficial to my well-being and mental state.  

How do you typically start your day?

I spend my mornings with my dogs now, whereas before, I couldn’t spend as much time with them. We get to have some play time before I feed them and start the rest of my day. 

What daily rituals are you practicing?

I have started meditating every day. I use an app called “Calm” and I spend 20 minutes listening to this as a way to clear my head. 

What’s your favorite dish to make at home?

Ramen… but not from scratch. My wife buys this specific ramen from the Asian market that she always ate growing up. I like to cook it for longer than I probably should and then strain off the liquid and add some cheese, Togarashi and lettuce to the noodles. Not very traditional but super tasty. 

How are you staying productive while at home? Any useful tips?

One thing that I find very useful is to set a schedule. I’ve never been a schedule type of guy but it’s been very constructive. I have two beautiful dogs that have a lot of needs and attention. They also need a schedule to be happy and healthy so I try to make sure I am consistent with their breaks and feedings. I have a solid workout routine I can do from home in the evenings. It’s either this or go for a run; the weather is getting nicer so this is the perfect time to do this. It’s great to set yourself a little time to watch TV, catch up on the news or take in some mindless social media content. I don’t let myself get sucked into this otherwise I’d spend all day on the couch. Between all of that, I find myself with very little spare time to waste so it works out great. 

What is keeping you grounded/balanced at the moment?

Exercise and research. The exercise is great because for me it’s a physical AND mental game. I like to push myself and learn new things so my body can adapt and become stronger. It’s easy to let myself become a little lazy so I haven’t allowed myself to think about that as an option. My mind runs in different directions all the time so the mental stability of a good work out is healthy for my mind – it keeps me focused and balanced. When I say research, I mean for menus and food. Being out of work has given me more time to read and re-read my cookbooks. I have been able to feel inspired about the dishes I’m excited to create when we return to work and our menus.

During this time of social distancing, people are leaning on things such as streaming services, puzzles, painting, at-home workouts, to name a few, what activities are you using to take your mind off of things?

A little more off the wall but I’ve been able to use this time to do more projects like this! Normally, days are long and packed full of a to-do list that is all about my restaurant. Right now, it feels like many obligations don’t exist in the same way… It is like having a blank schedule and the ability to fill it in as I would want. It’s also been an opportunity to collaborate with people I admire and look up to. Everyone is looking for ways to adjust and reach their target audience and through this, more people are communicating with each other. This gives way to more intimate and far reaching projects that have been super fun and a great way to take our minds off the pandemic and its effects. 

How have you stayed connected to friends and family during this time?

A lot of face time, texting and DM’s. Sometimes when we are busy with life, we don’t take a lot of time to see and read all the messages coming our way. Now that life has slowed down, it’s been great to connect with new people and those I’ve known forever. There are more real conversations about stuff other than work! 

What advice would you give to someone who’s struggling in isolation right now?

Stay active, keep your mind clear and try to find projects that take your thoughts from negative to positive. When I say “stay active” it doesn’t have to mean you should be working out. It means keep your mind active. Some people do this by reading more, doing a puzzle, painting, or learning a new hobby. It’s a great time to find a new passion. Keeping your mind clear is a great way to isolate the negative and aggressive thoughts and focus more on the positive and constructive thoughts. It doesn’t happen in one day though, it takes dedication and courage and understanding that you might be struggling. But you aren’t alone, and that’s important – this is only natural and because of this, it might take you a day, a week or longer to find your routine that makes you feel more whole. For me, it’s exercise and meditation. For some, it’s watching TV and learning to make pasta. It’s all a mind game and how you approach it and break it down will determine how you overcome it. Also, try to remember the things you were already doing and what you might miss most. What are you excited to return to? This gives you a solid and functional goal/focus point so you can begin to rebuild once the isolation has passed. 

What accomplishment are you most proud of while social distancing?

Being able to provide jobs for our employees and creatively try to tackle the large obstacle in the way of our industry. As mentioned earlier, we have tried to rethink how we operate and at the same time build a platform that lets us provide jobs and stability in an uncertain time. From day one, we were fighting an uphill battle, only made tougher by new and changing guidelines from our city and state. It’s been incredible to watch our company change and morph from moment to moment. I feel like my job is just as important now as it was when we were a tasting menu concept.  

What are you most looking forward to once this is over?

Getting back to TRAIN Moment! I miss going there at 7am and starting my day with a good ass-kicking. I think I’m looking forward to a type of normalcy that lets me know there are better days ahead. I can’t wait to go have a good dinner out and have a couple of great cocktails and support a neighborhood establishment. I miss my friends and nights out with them. I think I will just appreciate the life I have that much more and I cannot wait to get back to the grind.