As the most recent sous chefs to join G&B’s culinary team, Lucien adds his own multicultural vegan twist to the Café’s comfort food menu. Starting on the Café line in 2023, he worked his way up to sous in early 2025. “G&B is a great place to work, so many good opportunities to help out, grow, and cook good food,” Lucien said.
He started cooking at an early age, learning from his mother, an experienced vegan cook. “My love of cooking always felt innate. I was constantly in the kitchen while my mom was cooking dinner.”
Growing up in Chicago, Lucien credits his Montessori education in boosting his leadership and problem solving skills. “Then I transitioned to public schools which made me really adaptable in different situations. Being able to think quickly on my feet helped build a strong foundation for my cooking.”
Lucien earned a bachelor’s degree in English at Iowa’s Grinnell College and continued to develop his organizational, conversational and leadership skills, both in the classroom and while working in campus dining halls and coffee shops.
As for his cooking style, Lucien said he likes to experiment with different recipes from around the world, exploring different niches of vegan food. “Here at Ginger and Baker, I like to create vegan options that can be flexible, being able to stand alone or be just as good with chicken or fish.”
“I love the people here,” Lucien said. “The community is amazing; everyone is supportive and works super-duper hard. We learn from each other, collaborating on recipes and helping out wherever we can.”
When not working, Lucien enjoys reading, writing, journaling and spending time with his partner, Daniel, who is pursuing a graduate degree in mathematics at CSU.
His favorite kind of pie? “I have to say the vegan peanut butter pie here is truly incredible. I don’t have pie very often, but finding something so delicious that’s also vegan is like a gold mine.”
