My name is Marcos Samuel Toribio, born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic  and this is my story ...

I wasn't a typical kid my age. I loved helping my mother with the housework, cleaning the bathroom, the floor, doing laundry and especially in the kitchen. My father always said: that men are not involved in the kitchen. My passion for cooking began around the age of 9. When I was trying to make fried eggs, sandwiches, tomato and sausage soup and fried bread.

When I grew up I wanted to start my own business: "a hot dog cart". But my father never allowed me and he sent me to school.

He said that the inheritance he would leave me would be my studies. I finished high school and entered university to study Veterinary Medicine.

The passion for cooking never left, I stayed cooking at home learning from my mom those Creole tricks of true Cibaeño (Northern Dominican) food.

I got married at the age of 25 and started working at the (S.E.A) Secretary of State for Agriculture. As "IV Technician" of Animal Health.

I was allowed to continue studying and working at the same time. I held positions in international organizations such as the (A.P.H.I.S) (U.S.D.A) Department of Agriculture of the United States.

(O.I.R.S.A) Regional international organization for agricultural health. (EU) European Union.

There I learned a lot about food management, animals, vaccines, exotic diseases, zoonoses, etc. I did many workshops with the vision of one day dedicating myself to cooking.

I was very meticulous and hungry for knowledge, always with that spirit of knowing every detail.

The arrival of my first child forced me to look for more resources to maintain the Family. My dad finally let me start the business since now I was up to my neck in water.

I dedicated myself to the business and then I began to study Cooking at school: (AyB Masters) (INFOTEP) ( ICDA )

I always stood out in the classes, to the point of going to television programs representing the cooking school. This is how El Pirata was born, selling hot dogs, then sandwiches, Lasagnas. I was very creative and versatile in the kitchen.

I decided to emigrate to New York and started to work in Restaurants, Catering Companies and Craft services for film productions and Netflix Shows. My training, quality, punctuality and discipline always guaranteed me a job.

I remember my professor of surgery at the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo. Doctor Sigfredo Ignacio Frias A. (R.I.P.) 🕊

He told me if you are going to do something, do it well and responsibly. I will never forget and always remember his asepsis and antisepsis classes. My great friend 💙 I implement a lot of veterinary knowledge in my cooking controls and standards.

I love my profession and I don't see it as a job. I have fun doing what I like and I get paid for it.

I know that every Master that I trained with in life, is proud of my trajectory.

I like teaching what Dr. Sigfredo Frias taught me: that the one who teaches, learns twice. And knowledge is useless in a grave.