For years, people have debated whether Erwan Heussaff should be called a chef. He’s known for creating food content, running restaurants, and talking about recipes—but in his own words, the label has always been misplaced. His story shows why titles matter less than clarity of role, and how sticking to operations shaped his path as an entrepreneur.
Clearing Up the Misconception
“I was never a chef,” Erwan said bluntly. The statement cuts through years of assumptions fueled by social media. As his blogs and videos grew in popularity, audiences often assumed that behind the camera or inside his restaurants, he was the one cooking.
The truth, however, was different. “There’s always online confusion, I guess because of social media. There’s information propagated all over the place,” he explained. “I cook, I do cook. But I’ve never been a natural chef in any of my positions.”
By drawing that line, Erwan highlighted something crucial: his strength was not in standing behind the stove but in orchestrating everything around it.
The Operator, Not the Kitchen Star
What Erwan enjoyed—and excelled at—was managing how kitchens functioned within the bigger picture of a business. “I was always the person liaising with various chefs with various restaurants and everything like that. So more on the operations side of things,” he said.
This mindset followed him from his days in international food service to his ventures in Manila’s dining scene. He wasn’t obsessed with crafting every dish. He was obsessed with making sure the restaurants ran well, the concepts were executed, and the consumer experience matched the vision.
Cooking as Passion, Not Profession
Of course, Erwan still cooks. But for him, cooking was always personal, not professional. “I cook, I cook. I do cook. Yeah,” he admitted, stressing that while he enjoys preparing food, it was never the basis of his career.
That distinction freed him to approach food from a different angle. Instead of perfecting recipes, he perfected systems. Instead of being bound by the kitchen, he bridged the gap between culinary creativity and business execution.
Why It Matters in Business
In hindsight, Erwan sees his refusal to adopt the “chef” label as a strength. It allowed him to be realistic about his skills and focus on what he could contribute best. Many entrepreneurs, he noted, fall into the trap of trying to be everything at once. He resisted that.
His clarity also helped him build teams. By acknowledging he wasn’t the chef, he positioned himself as the partner who would handle concepts, branding, and logistics while chefs could focus on food quality. That division of responsibility was critical in every restaurant venture he entered.
Lessons for Young Entrepreneurs
Erwan’s rejection of the chef title carries a lesson beyond food. Success often means knowing where you don’t belong as much as where you do. By not forcing himself into a role he wasn’t suited for, he doubled down on the roles where he could create the most value.
In an industry where public perception often rewards personalities over processes, he built his identity differently. “I was never a chef,” he reminded. And yet, his restaurants, videos, and businesses carried his mark—not because of what came out of the kitchen, but because of how he shaped the entire experience.
Redefining Identity in Food and Media
Today, when Erwan is introduced, he’s often called a content creator, entrepreneur, or restaurateur—but rarely a chef, at least not by him. The misconception still lingers among audiences, but he remains consistent about where he stands.
That honesty about his role reflects a broader theme in his career: a commitment to structure, transparency, and clear expectations. Just as in his businesses, he knows that success comes from letting the right people own the right responsibilities.
In a world that often celebrates titles more than results, Erwan’s story shows the opposite. He didn’t need to be a chef to shape the dining and digital landscape. He just needed to be himself—the operator, the strategist, the producer, and above all, the person who knew exactly where he fit in the bigger picture.
