Link to article here: https://www.forbes.com.mx/forbes-life/fernando-cowan/

Translated version:
When creativity, determination, and effort are mixed, the result is undoubtedly not only positive but also admirable. These are the qualities that Fernando Cowan, a Mexican triumphing abroad, possesses and that have driven him to get where he set out to be at his short 24-year-old.

Fernando is a young Mexican, born in Tijuana, who grew up with his mother and sister and who has dreamed big since childhood. When speaking with Fernando, the transparency, authenticity, and freshness of a 24-year-old young man are perceived, however, this is not synonymous with inexperience or lack of maturity. At his young age, he has faced various obstacles and difficult situations, such as his father's abandonment as a child, living with his mother in a small room, not having the means to study, even asking for money in trucks.

After a childhood with ups and downs, at the age of 15 Fernando became a cook together with his mother to help with the family expenses and worked in several restaurants, which inspired him to want to study Culinary Arts in Culinary Art. School in Tijuana. This dream seemed impossible since in no way did he have the financial means to enter, but this did not stop him and he got an appointment with the director Javier González Vizcaino, who believed in him and awarded him a 50% scholarship. Fernando describes that moment as one of the most significant in his life, but he still lacked the other 50% to pay, so his mother, who Fernando describes as a warrior who has always driven him, managed to get the other half of the scholarship from the Tijuana City Council. He describes his first day of school as a dream in slow motion, seeing the finishes of the school, the luxury cars in the parking lot, his beautiful classmates, especially a blonde who shocked him and that he plans to search one day. In this environment of a high socioeconomic level, Fernando experienced an inferiority complex that was just another obstacle to overcome, since in a short time he gained the respect and affection of students and teachers since he was the student with the most experienced in the kitchen for his work as a cook. However, he expresses that it was impossible for him to socialize outside of school with his classmates due to the expensive lifestyle they led since they spent what Fernando earned in a week or more of work on an outing.

FROM COOK TO PRODUCER, CREATING A NEW CONCEPT

Their dream took a complete turn the day they were asked at school for a project about a demo cooking class. It occurred to Fernando that it would be fun to simulate a TV cooking show. When presenting his “program” in class, all the students laughed at his jokes and were entertained a lot, it was then that the Co-principal of the school jokingly told him that he could have his own television program. The next step was that he proposed it and managed to have his own cooking program in Tijuana. Soon after, he produced a documentary for the school where he interviewed the most outstanding students. From these experiences, Fernando learned empirically everything a production did, observing and helping with cameras, editing, etc. Before long, he dared to produce himself and the school began hiring him for projects and connecting him with the most outstanding figures in culinary art. At this time, his new identity and a new concept were born in which production and gastronomy were combined, a new profession in which Fernando named himself as "Director and Culinary Producer". At 19 he started doing commercials and producing material for top chefs like Javier Plascencia.

SUCCESSFUL IN A NEW INDUSTRY

Fernando now enjoys recognition both in the culinary and film fields, since he is sought after for being the expert in gastronomic production and because they know the effort he puts into their projects. However, he is aware that the road is long and that he has to continue preparing, so he is currently studying creative writing at Stanford University while living in Silicon Valley and traveling wherever his projects take him, such as a recent collaboration with Coca Cola Spain. . One of his main accomplishments has been working with Emmy-nominated chef and Food Network host Marcela Valladolid, as she has been very supportive and has opened the doors to a nucleus that is hard to get into. Fernando has helped him in the production of content for his social media,

FOLLOWING PROJECTS

He is currently working on various projects, with the best film crew. One of his main projects to develop is a gastronomic documentary, the Mexican version of Chef's Table, where he can highlight the work of Mexican chefs and the pre-Hispanic influence in the kitchen. The pilot of this project is currently being presented to investors, so it will surely soon be materialized.

When asking Fernando where he sees himself in 10 years, Fernando confidently responds: "I see myself in Cannes, with a family, maybe I will look for the strawberry girl I met on the first day of school, I don't know!"

Although he still has many goals to achieve, is undoubtedly a proudly Mexican talent to watch out for.