Zion Williamson’s chef extraordinaire, MasterChef: Back To Win’s Christian Green shares some kitchen tips with Pelicans Scoop.
Chef Christian Green was born in Manyo, Louisiana. Sabine Parish is known for its small basketball school. North Louisiana’s isolated vacuum of pig pens, hidden barns, and clay dirt roads sprinkled with angel curbs was featured repeatedly in the New York Times as far back as the 1950s. Many of the all-time high school scorers come from one of the most sparsely populated parishes (counties in the other 49 states) in the country, helped by the fact that area teams played up to 70 games against each other.
Still Green had to, during a recent conversation among north Louisiana residents (I attended Sabine’s Pleasant Hill High before transferring to nearby Natchitoches Central), “You see. We don’t get as much recognition as we should. It’s a blessing for me to be on this platform to represent where I’m from.”
Green, who currently competes on Fox’s MasterChef: Back to Victory, which airs Wednesdays at 7 p.m. ET, is getting his due these days. His mother and stepfather eventually moved the family to Boston, but the aspiring chef moved back to New Orleans shortly after graduating high school to attend Dillard University. He is now the chef for Marcus Davenport (Saints) and Zion Williamson (Pelicans) and is vying for the coveted hit chef title.
“To be where I am, honestly, you know, I’ve been knocked down a lot. Everyone has faced trial and error in life and I was one of them. I had to be consistent about not putting negative thoughts in my head. Knowing that this is what you are meant to do. This is your purpose. Even though I didn’t go to the NFL or NBA, I really see myself in these athletes. See you in Zion, see you in Davenport. To be in this position to get these guys to where they need to be, even though I didn’t make it (as a professional athlete), it feels like I still am. Right now, being around these guys and making sure we reach their goals is what I’m doing in professional sports.”
He achieved his goal of earning the coveted chef’s apron with a dish of bourbon-glazed salmon with creamy mashed potatoes and white wine spinach. Green received the MasterChef pin last week on Fox. The Crescent City chef still pushes to “stay focused, put God first and learn. Trying to understand the goals and keep things consistent. Success just won’t come overnight. You really have to try. I remember those long nights in the kitchen cooking and practicing my craft. I think this is where a lot of people get it wrong. They don’t want to work. What motivates me is just putting in the work and making my son proud.”
The veteran of the fifth season of MasterChef does not take the responsibility of the platform “lightly”. You know, it’s a blessing, you know, it’s a blessing for me to be in the position that I’m in. To be invited back to MasterChef: Back to Win, to represent Louisiana the way I did, is truly, truly a blessing. I am eternally grateful that they could bring back anyone, just like my clients. My clients have been able to get any chef they could reach for me and for me to be a part of this journey is truly a blessing.”
The love of the kitchen and the lessons of appreciating life’s blessings continued into the early college years. It goes back to Green’s grandmother, who “came into the kitchen and prepared okra and tomatoes. Green vegetables and cornbread with hot water, black-eyed peas. Comfort food like this is what really got me going in the kitchen. My grandmother had a garden when he was growing up. So we went to pick the crops and when we picked them we went there. We’d get into it, we’d start cooking.”
Although sports loyalties were baked in Boston, Hurricane Katrina created another fan base for New Orleans teams.
“I was a huge Tom Brady fan growing up. Big Tom Brady fan. I was a huge Patriots fan. Seeing how he started when Drew Bledsoe got hurt and just seeing how he’s doing, what he’s done, and what he’s still doing. That’s when I really fell in love with the Patriots. I’m very excited about the Boston Celtics. Then, when I had a chance to come south, I still cheered loudly, ‘Patriots, patriots, patriots.’ and the Pelicans right now.”
Green appeared as Zion Williamson’s chef after the Mardi Gras rolled through town. He knew the jokes and unwarranted harsh blows from the media and fans coming into the relationship. There are different motives behind each opinion. Williamson and Green are on the same page about the game plan going forward and believe the results say more than some of the talking heads on TV.
“When I approached this situation, I saw that everything is motivation. I am his personal chef and he is what he is, being a great athlete, all of that is motivation. You know, it sucks that people think what they think. Because it’s the world we live in, they quickly bring up so much negativity. But just to see him now, just to see him in the good mood he’s in. With the weight he’s lost and the goals we’ve set for ourselves, I know the sky’s the limit for this young man. The sky is the limit and he shows it. He proves this with daily practice. By being obedient and sticking to the plan. And you know. You saw him. I’m sure you’ve seen the articles, but I’m sure you’ve seen the videos and everything. It looks great.”
“And you know what. We’re not done. The season hasn’t started yet. Just imagine what you saw in Vegas, just imagine what you’re going to see when the season starts.”
Read More Pelicans News:
