Chef, Nutritionist, Entrepreneur, Consultant
An award-winning chef in the Caribbean food arena. In 2012, Chef Vicky was awarded a silver medal for Caribbean Chef of The Year at the Taste of the Islands completion hosted by the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association. She was called to represent her country and be a part of the Culinary Team Haiti as a Culinary Chef Ambassador competing with 10 other Caribbean nations. The team was also awarded a silver medal for the Caribbean Team of the Year and received an Award for “Best Team for Taste of the Islands”. A published nutrition researcher, her study was selected in 2013 in the International Journal of Child Nutrition. Her recipe and interview have been featured in Essence Magazine online, Island Origin, and most recently the cookbook Toques in Black: A Celebration of 101 Black Chefs in America. In 2019, she was nominated in the “40 under 40” class of Legacy Magazine as one of South Florida’s “Black Leaders of Today and Tomorrow”.
Most recently, Chef Vicky was selected as one of twenty women candidates awarded for the 2019 James Beard Foundation Women Entrepreneurial Leadership (WEL) fellowship and is also part of a selective group of talented Chefs in the James Beard Foundation local food advocacy training programs. She is a wife, a proud mother of 3 boys, a business, and a food influencer in her community. Chef Vicky has been featured in her town local news stations such as WSVN CH 7, Deco Drive, WPLG Local 10 News, 6 on the mix CH 6 and Good Morning Miramar.
The grand-daughter of self-taught Entrepreneurs and Distillers, she grew up on a family compound in Haiti that shared the same land with the family liquor distillery. Sunday dinners were grand feasts at home. The meals were prepared from her family’s organic garden and meats were farmed nearby. From a rich culture, she hopes to bring to the table her traditional flavors elevated with a new generation of innovative and modern contemporary cooking style. Chef Vicky’s ingredients and her cooking by definition are sweet, exotic, bursting with flavor, and a portrait of the love and effort she puts in her dishes. Her Caribbean Contemporary and International cuisine is unique, fresh and flavorful. A tropical hideaway on your palate.
Chef. Nutritionist. Mother. Food Entrepreneur. Wife and Mentor. These roles are what give her the courage and energy to Innovate, create, and influence. Chef Vicky is a well-versed subject matter expert in the Hospitality, Culinary Arts, Restaurant Management, and Public Health (Dietetics and Nutrition) arena. She is a graduate of Florida International University (FIU) and Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts.
Chef Vicky’s single motivating purpose and passion for food is innate and fuels her energy to aspire others each day. Her purpose is to make an impact in other people’s lives, whether clients or fellow Chefs, through food, culinary education, and teaching. Her culinary and nutrition education program has had a tremendous impact on the underserved communities in Broward County, Florida. She truly believes that education and experience are the best tools for anyone’s career development, but her talent is something that is ingrained within her heart and soul. She began learning business at a very young age from her family. Her passion for business is characteristic of her personality and drives her energy to inspire others every day.
Chef Vicky Colas aka Marie V. Colas is also a published Author.
Her ability to believe in doing great things that are impactful to others enabled her to follow her vision for her master’s research, and a simple idea became a reality.
Her research on the Impact of Vegetable Preparation Method and Taste-Test on Vegetable Preference for First Grade Children in the United States was recently published in the International Journal of Child Nutrition.
Pro Kitchen Hub: Upon graduating, her husband and she ventured into one of the biggest business opportunities in the culinary industry. They built a 7430 Sq. Ft Commercial Kitchen for rent and Culinary Incubator. This kitchen is an asset to the sunrise FL community and enriches the lives of small business innovators with great culinary ideas.
Upon her graduating with her Masters in Dietetics and Nutrition, due to a shortage of internships in the field she decided to postpone her pursuit. Her goals of becoming a dietitian and founded Interactive Nutrition, an interactive nutrition and cooking demonstration services. This company also helps her maintain her public health background and allows her to stay in touch with community work.
She provides nutrition education, cooking demonstrations to many non- profit and for-profit community partners such as; Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies, Memorial Health Care System, Holy Cross Hospital, the Urban league in Broward, Broward Housing Authorities and many other key players in the community development arena. Her services are designed and governed under the Florida Health Department, Aetna, Community Foundation of Broward. Those services have been very impactful in the lower-income communities in Broward county.
- In November 2013, Chef Vicky, AKA Marie V Colas research was accepted in the
- In 2013, Chef Vicky participated in the Food Network South Beach Wine and Food Festival Amstel Light Burger Bash where she assisted Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto and his Executive Chef (Nai Kang Kuan from Morimoto Napa) team.
- In 2012, Chef Vicky was called to duty to serve and represent her country of Haiti in the 2012 Taste of the Caribbean Competition presented by the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association where she obtains the following awards:
- “Caribbean Chef of the Year 2012 Silver Medalist”
- Team Award for “Best Taste of the Islands” street food competition 2012
- Silver Medal for “Caribbean National Team” of 2012
- From 2006 to Present, Chef Vicky has served as Personal Chef and Nutritionist to diverse upscale clienteles including designers, business executives, corporate professionals, and families. In 2005, Chef Vicky participated in the Food Network South Beach Wine and Food Festival Moet and Chandon Bubble-Q where she assisted Executive Chef Kent Rathbum and Top Chef Miami Season 3 Chef Trey Wilcox from Abacus Restaurant.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND AWARDS
Along the way, she has worked in many fine establishments such as the Westin Fort Lauderdale, the Tropi-Bleu Restaurant, the Renaissance Plantation, and the Turn Berry Isle Resorts and Spa and countless others. She has also worked with many celebrity chefs at the SOBEFEST wine and food festival as a volunteer. (Chef Ken Rathbum, Tre Wilcox, Iron Chef Morimoto Executive team and Chef Morimoto).
Community work keeps chef Vicky in touch with the community, she provides nutrition education, cooking demonstration to many non- profit and for profit community partners such as; Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies, Memorial Health Care System, Holy Cross Hospital, Urban League in Broward, Broward Housing Authorities and many other key players in the community development arena. Her services are designed and governed under the Florida Health Department, Aetna, Community foundation of Broward.
She attended Culinary School at Le Cordon Bleu Miami and holds a Bachelor in Hospitality Restaurant Management and lastly holds a Master in Dietetics and Nutrition and both degrees were obtained from Florida International University (FIU). In 2019 she was one of the recipients selected for the 2019 James Beard Women Entrepreneur leadership fellow powered by Babson college and sponsored and presented by Audi and awarded to 2o most talented culinary women entrepreneurs around the country. Her ability to believe in doing great things enabled her to follow her vision for her master’s research, and a simple idea became a reality. One of chef Vicky’s greatest challenges was to take on research for the first time for her Master’s research project. Her research on the Impact of Vegetable Preparation Method and Taste-Test on Vegetable Preference for First Grade Children in the United States was recently published in the International Journal of Child Nutrition.
Her ability to believe in doing great things enabled her to follow her vision for her master’s research, and a simple idea became a reality. One of chef Vicky’s greatest challenges was to take on research for the first time for her Master’s research project. Her research on the Impact of Vegetable Preparation Method and Taste-Test on Vegetable Preference for First Grade Children in the United States was recently published in the International Journal of Child Nutrition.
2019-James Beard Award Fellow. Most recently,
2019-Nominated in the “40 under 40” Legacy class magazine as one of South Florida’s
“Black Leaders of Today and Tomorrow”
2019- Recipes and interviews featured on Essence Magazine online, Island Origin.
2019-Featured in Toques in Black: A cookbook Celebration of 101 Black Chefs in America.
2019-Recently, she was nominated in the 2019 “40 under 40” Legacy class magazine as one of South Florida’s “Black Leaders of Today and Tomorrow”.
2013-A nutrition researcher was published in the International Journal of Child Nutrition.
2012-Awarded a silver medal for Caribbean Chef of The Year from the Caribbean and Tourism Association in their Annual Olympic stage.
2012-Team Haiti was also awarded a silver medal for the Caribbean Team of the Year and received an Award for “Best Team for Taste of the Islands”.
2014-2019-Chef Vicky has been featured in her town local news stations such as WSVN CH 7, Deco Drive, WPLG Local 10 News, 6 on the mix CH 6, and Good Morning Miramar.
Making a Difference
Making a difference:
Community work is important to Chef Vicky. Besides working on her brand and day to day operation, Chef Vicky always finds a way to give back. Her endless work of interactive Nutrition and cooking education in the community. Her passion to make a difference in people’s lives through food keeps chef Vicky in touch with the community. She provides nutrition education, cooking demonstrations to many non-profits and for-profit community partners such as; Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies, Memorial Health Care System, Holy Cross Hospital, the Urban league in Broward, Broward Housing Authorities and many other key players in the community development arena. Her services are designed around the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Association, AND Florida Health Department, Aetna, Community Foundation of Broward.
Chef Vicky supports the following organizations:
- Jeremie Charitable Foundation
- Culinary Wonders USA: Chefs Helping Chefs
- Minority Chefs Group
- Special Olympics
- Cancer, Diabetic And Heart Association
- Any Local Group Making A Difference In The Community