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PLAYTES: On the Table Music, Kitchens, and Becoming The Professor Chef



 By The Professor Chef


Culinary Lifestyle Expert


I’ve always been doing two things at the same time—cooking and music.


Most people see the culinary side first, but music has been in me just as long.


I’ve been writing and freestyling since I was a kid. I even recorded my first song around age 10. It wasn’t industry-level or anything like that, but I remember it being the first time I took an idea in my head and turned it into something real.


By 15, it started getting more serious. I was writing songs, putting together ideas for albums, and recording music on my phone. I was dropping tracks on SoundCloud under the name “Young Zai.”


At the same time, I was also becoming the family chef on both sides—mom’s and dad’s.


So even early on, my life was already split between food and music.


⸻


Fast forward to 21, I’m working in kitchens, still building my cooking career, but now I’m also writing heavy again. Around that time, I got into beat making a year prior, and I finally made a beat that I felt like I could actually rap on.


That’s when I challenged myself to do something I hadn’t done in years: create a full project.


I made a 5-song EP in less than a month.


That moment pushed me to take it more seriously, so I got a mic, headphones, and started recording at home on my laptop.


That project dropped under a new name:


“Zai The Professor.”


And that changed something in me.


⸻


After that, I went further.


I made a 10-song project. New beats. New writing. New energy. I recorded everything at home while still working in kitchens and perfecting my culinary craft.


During that same time, I wasn’t just cooking basic meals—I was creating food experiences.


Soul food cupcakes, crab boils, vegan dishes, full creative plates that blended culture and experimentation. I was building creatively in both worlds at once.


But after my second music drop, something felt off.


I wasn’t fully satisfied with what I was putting out. I didn’t even know why at first—I just knew it wasn’t hitting the level I saw in my head.


So I made a decision.


I changed my environment.


⸻


In 2023, I went into a deeper grind phase. I started focusing on beat making, writing, learning the business side of music and entertainment, and sharpening my culinary identity—not just cooking, but understanding food as a brand, a culture, and a system.


I also started thinking differently about combining music and culinary work, but a lot of ideas didn’t fully click yet. I had to sit back and let things develop instead of forcing it.


⸻


By 2025, things finally started making sense.


The vision started connecting.


And now I’m moving with clarity.


Because in 2027, I’m planning something different—something I’ve been building quietly since my last drop as Zai The P and since stepping fully into my identity as The Professor Chef.


And when it’s time, y’all will see exactly what I’ve been working on.


Not just music. Not just food.


A full world built from both.


PLAYTES UP.

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