Conversations with Aarika Ortiz

Today we’d like to introduce you to Aarika Ortiz.

Hi Aarika, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I have always had an interest in food, however, it took me til my late 20s to turn an interest into a passion. I applied for Masterchef and beat everyone in Colorado, While i didn’t win, it did validate my path into chefing. I worked for root down, and then shortly after i started working for the seasoned chef cooking school, where i went from assisting cooking classes, to teaching my very own. I now have over 6 years of experience teaching cooking classes, from everything from sushi to south american. I am also the proud owner of my catering and private dinning company, Chef Aarikas Kitchen. 2026 will be my 5 year anniversary, and I couldnt be happier to continue working with the denver community and the adventures it brings.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
A chefs life is never a smooth path, however i am not interested in complaining, and more proud of the oppurtunites to pivot and recoup durning struggles. Having a small company survive the difficulties of both covid and the economy were definitely trying, but im grateful to have prevailed.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I would say my ability to pivot and move forward both creatively and as a business owner. I think its easy to get hung up when something isnt working, or worse, failing.

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Believe in yourself and your abilites. You didnt get to where you are by pure luck, know you made it happen for yourself and that its never too late to look for the next step in your career. thank you for inviting me to interview for the readers i appreciate the oppurtunity provided to me!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://chefaarika.com
• Instagram: chefaarika
• Facebook: Chef Aarikas Kitchen