Chef Ray Lemar

10/12/2026

Chef Ray Lemar (https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=%2Fg%2F11l5qp18nn&q=Chef+Ray+Lemar) describes his late mother, Hattie, as a woman of quiet strength and the foundational inspiration behind his culinary career. For Chef Ray, the name "Hattie’s Cucina" represents a philosophy centered on love, humility, and genuine service rather than ego or flashy trends. [1] (https://chefraylemar.substack.com/p/hatties-cucina-the-heart-of-the-brand), [2] (https://www.facebook.com/61559655145049/posts/chef-ray-lemar-is-an-experienced-american-military-veteran-culinary-entrepreneur/122238557678321838/)
Key details of Hattie's life and her influence on his kitchen include:
• A Historic Trailblazer: In 1957, Hattie became one of the first Black women to graduate from Lewis University. According to Chef Ray, she didn't pursue the milestone for a title or the spotlight, but simply to better serve her family and community. [1] (https://chefraylemar.substack.com/p/hatties-cucina-the-heart-of-the-brand)
• A Heart for the Community: While managing a career with the railroad, she raised seven children and was known across her neighborhood for making sure no neighbor ever went hungry. [1] (https://chefraylemar.substack.com/p/chef-ray-lemars-introduction-letter-45a), [2] (https://chefraylemar.substack.com/p/hatties-cucina-the-heart-of-the-brand)
• Resourcefulness in the Kitchen: She possessed a distinct culinary gift for stretching a meal, mastering simple essentials like homemade biscuits, and ensuring that whoever walked through her door felt like there was always enough food at the table. [1] (https://www.facebook.com/61559655145049/posts/the-photograph-that-hangs-in-my-kitchenthere-is-a-photograph-hanging-in-my-kitch/122242213850321838/)
• Keeping Her Memory Alive: Chef Ray hangs a photograph of Hattie directly in his kitchen. He frequently reflects that every time he cooks or bakes biscuits, she is there with him—reminding him that food is ultimately a vehicle for welcoming others and showing love. [1] (https://www.facebook.com/61559655145049/posts/the-photograph-that-hangs-in-my-kitchenthere-is-a-photograph-hanging-in-my-kitch/122242213850321838/)
Would you like to explore some of the family traditions and recipes passed down from Hattie, or are you interested in how these values shape his "Eat Great, Not Gain Weight" approach?

09/26/2026

Just pulled this Cajun Salmon out the Oven , I have a plan for it .

09/25/2026

Yellow Watermelon Deserves a Place at the Table

Watermelon is one of those foods that hardly needs an introduction.

We know it. We grew up with it. We know what it tastes like on a hot summer afternoon, and most of us picture that familiar red center before the knife ever touches the rind.

But there is another side to watermelon that deserves a little attention.

Yellow watermelon.

I've always believed that some of the best food discoveries aren't necessarily exotic or complicated. Sometimes they're simply familiar foods presented in a slightly different way.

Yellow watermelon is exactly that.

A little history in every slice

Watermelon has been cultivated for thousands of years, with its origins traced to Africa. From there, it spread throughout the world and eventually became deeply connected with summertime eating in the United States.

The red watermelon we know so well is only one expression of the fruit.

Watermelons naturally occur in several flesh colors, including red, pink, orange, yellow and white. The color comes from the variety's natural genetics and the pigments produced within the flesh.

So yellow watermelon isn't a modern novelty.

It is part of the larger story of watermelon itself.

The flavor is its own experience

Yellow watermelon has the refreshing quality we expect from watermelon, but its flavor can have a slightly different character depending on the variety.

Some are particularly sweet. Others can have a honey-like or tropical quality.

That's one of the reasons I enjoy putting it on a table alongside traditional red watermelon.

The difference isn't just visual.

You get two expressions of the same fruit.

And that's a wonderful thing about cooking and eating. Sometimes changing the variety changes the entire experience without changing the simplicity of the food.

There is plenty of good nutrition here

Watermelon is roughly 91–92% water, making it naturally hydrating, while also providing vitamin C, vitamin A and potassium. It also contains a variety of plant compounds and antioxidants.

Yellow watermelon has one notable nutritional difference from the familiar red variety.

Red watermelon is particularly well known for its lycopene content, which gives the flesh its red color. Yellow-fleshed varieties generally contain considerably less lycopene.

That doesn't make one color better than the other.

It simply demonstrates something I appreciate about food:

Different varieties can bring different qualities to the table.

Where to look for it

Yellow watermelon tends to be more seasonal and less consistently stocked than conventional red watermelon.

I'd look for it at farmers markets, local produce stands, farm stands and independent produce markets. Larger grocery stores may also carry it when supplies are available.

If you're in Florida, it's especially worth keeping an eye on local produce during watermelon season.

And when you find a good one, remember where you bought it.

That's how food knowledge is built.

Not from somebody telling you what is supposed to be good.

From actually eating it.

Keep the preparation simple

This is one of those foods I wouldn't overwork.

Chill it.

Cut it.

Serve it.

That's about it.

Yellow watermelon is beautiful enough to be part of the presentation without needing much help.

Put yellow and red watermelon together on a platter, and suddenly something very familiar looks completely different.

You can also use it in salads with cucumber, fresh herbs and a little cheese, or use it in a salsa with seafood. The natural sweetness works particularly well against salty, acidic and savory flavors.

That's where yellow watermelon becomes more than a fruit course.

It becomes an ingredient.

Why I think it belongs on more tables

I don't believe every food needs to be reinvented.

Sometimes we simply need to pay more attention to what is already available.

Yellow watermelon gives us another variety, another flavor profile and another way to enjoy something we've known for most of our lives.

And maybe that's the real appeal.

It doesn't need a complicated recipe.

It doesn't need a chef standing over it.

It doesn't need a trend attached to it.

It just needs a place on the table.

Because good food doesn't always announce itself.

Sometimes it's simply sitting there, waiting for us to notice the difference.

Yellow watermelon is worth noticing.

09/24/2026

09/23/2026

This technique is perfect. One of the best to ever do it.

09/23/2026

The Photograph That Hangs in My Kitchen

There is a photograph hanging in my kitchen that means more to me than I could ever put into words.

It is a photograph of my mother, Hattie.

She is standing in my aunt's kitchen on her wedding day, holding a baby. Beside her stands the man she was marrying. The picture is black and white, a little worn with age, but to me it is beautiful.

Because it isn't just a wedding photograph.

It is a piece of my family's history.

My mother raised seven children. She knew how to make something out of very little. She knew how to stretch a meal, how to make biscuits, how to bring people to the table and, somehow, make everyone feel like there was enough.

That kitchen in this photograph was part of the world that shaped me.

And today, decades later, I have a kitchen of my own.

So I put her picture there.

Not in a museum.

Not locked away in a box.

In the kitchen.

That seems fitting.

Every time I cook, she is there.

Every time I make biscuits, I think about her. Every time I put a meal on the table, I think about what she taught me about food—and about people.

Food was never just food in our family.

It was how you welcomed somebody.

It was how you showed love.

It was how you said, Come on in. Sit down. Eat something.

That's still how I see the kitchen today.

I've spent decades working in restaurants, learning techniques, studying food and teaching people how to cook. But some of the most important things I ever learned didn't come from a restaurant or a culinary classroom.

They came from home.

They came from my mother.

And maybe that's why this photograph belongs exactly where it is.

In my kitchen.

It reminds me where all of this really started.

Before the restaurants.

Before the recipes.

Before the cookbooks.

Before anyone ever called me a chef.

There was a mother in a kitchen, raising seven children and doing the best she could with what she had.

And somehow, all these years later, a little bit of that kitchen is still with me.

I think that's what photographs are supposed to do.

They don't just show us what something looked like.

Sometimes, they remind us who we are.

And this one reminds me every day.

That's my mother, Hattie.

And this is her kitchen too.

09/22/2026

Which fish taste best?