It's Not a Celebration Without “The Cake”

Atlanta chef Demetrius Brown shares his great-grandmother's recipe and the secret ingredient that makes it work

- by ALANA AL-HATLANI photograph by VICTOR PROTASIO

CHEF DEMETRIUS BROWN literally outgrew his original dream job.

“I always wanted to be a mechanic,” he says. “The taller I got, though, the harder it was for me to work on cars.” (Brown stands at 6'3", for reference.)

A steady diet of the Food Network, including Rachael Ray, Alton Brown, and Bobby Flay—whom he went on to beat on his eponymous competition show—helped foster Brown’s plan B career path. As much as he enjoyed the aspirational side of cooking, his interest in the craft was also practical. His mother worked two or three jobs to support him and his siblings when he was growing up, which meant he prepared a lot of the family’s meals. Spaghetti was one of his go-tos, and (as a budding chef) of course he had to add his own twist—in this case, a squirt of Sriracha.