Chef Lawrence Duran cooking for the Wahlbergs

 Since he was 7 years old, Chef Lawrence Duran has been creating delicious success out of what’s given to him.  Like cooking from scratch, this 30-year-old Valencia resident has produced a career by taking stock, stirring up some creativity, adding a dash of courage, and writing the recipe as he goes.  Today, that recipe yields a career as the personal chef for actor/producer Mark Wahlberg and his family.
“When I first went in there, I wasn’t sure what to expect,” Lawrence said of preparing his first meal in the Wahlbergs’ kitchen.  “But once you’re with them for a while, they really do treat you like family.”
A perfect match for the Wahlbergs, Lawrence understands their focus on food and family.  Even from his earliest memories, the two have been inseparable.
“I was raised by a single mother,” Lawrence recalled of his childhood.  “She worked long hours, and it was up to me to either cook meals for myself or go to McDonalds nightly.  That’s how I started cooking.  I basically always knew it was what I wanted to do.”
Lawrence got his first shot after high school, when he signed up to work for a friend’s family catering company – one of the biggest caterers for the studios in all of Los Angeles.  Building education alongside professional experience, Lawrence also graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in Los Angeles, and he eventually branched off into his own catering business, handling small events by himself.
“It was extremely time consuming and really hard to do it all on my own,” Lawrence said.  “So I eventually went into construction and maintenance for Universal Studios.  It wasn’t cooking, but it matched my daughter’s schedule.”
But even if Lawrence could leave cooking, it couldn’t leave him.  About 18 months ago, a friend called up – he needed a chef and fast.  Mark Wahlberg had requested a personal chef for a couple days, and his friend wanted to recommend Lawrence for the job.
“I initially turned him down,” Lawrence said.  “I was already established in construction and had a lot going for myself in that industry.”

A lifetime healthy eater with human moments, Mark typically eats six ounces of fish with brown rice and veggies, as well as a weekly filet mignon to keep cravings in check.  When training for a movie, he eats five meals daily, in small portions, on a highly regulated schedule.  If he happens across the occasional plate of ribs, though, they’re definitely fair game.

Cooking seemed liked a risk, and it was difficult to step back into a chapter he had so regretfully closed.  But his passion was stronger than his hesitation, and he dove back in.
“At first I thought it would just be a couple days.  But days turned to weeks, and weeks turned to months,” Lawrence said.  “They really liked the food I was putting out, and it was hard to say no – especially to the Wahlbergs.”
Though Lawrence first prepared meals for Mark alone, he quickly took on the rest of the family and staff.  Once again, he drew on the experience life had given him to produce sweet success.
“Usually a personal chef will do one meal, maybe two small meals,” Lawrence said.  “But they needed three separate meals, plus separate snacks for the whole family.  It was different than what I was used to, but I was prepared because of my experience in catering.”
On a typical day, Lawrence starts by preparing an afternoon snack for the four kids – usually consisting of fruit, veggies and protein – and follows by prepping snacks for Mark.  When dinner rolls around, three separate meals are served for: Mark; his wife, Rhea; and the kids and staff.  And when Mark’s entourage comes over for dinner, Lawrence cooks for them, too.  They eat whatever Mark’s having or “pick at the kids’ food.”
While Lawrence may not be part of Wahlberg’s famed entourage just yet, he sure hopes to stick around for a while.  In the meantime, he seems to have cooked up a pretty sweet gig.
Follow Chef Lawrence on Instagram at Chef_Lawrence_D. 

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