The morning starts simply: chilaquiles sizzling in a pan, refried beans warming on the stove, breakfast potatoes crisping at the edges. A fruit platter sits nearby. It’s savory, colorful, comforting. Very Haley.

When our U.S. representative, Valentina Mallol, spent the morning with New York–based plant-based executive chef Haley Duren, it didn’t feel like a formal interview. It felt like being invited into someone’s rhythm.

Haley has just wrapped her role as Executive Chef at Cadence, the East Village restaurant where she became known for weaving Southwestern flavors into Southern soul food. Now, she’s stepping into a new chapter with Long Count, her latest project with Overthrow Hospitality — and she sounds hungry for what’s next.

But to understand where she’s going, you have to start in Albuquerque.

From New Mexico to New York

Haley was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She trained as a classically trained pastry chef, earning a degree in advanced baking and pastry before deciding — almost instinctively — to move to New York City.

Her reasoning was simple: If I can make it here, I can make it anywhere.

She arrived without a concrete plan, just a goal. She wanted to become an executive chef by thirty. She did it by twenty-seven.

“I’ve been in New York six years now,” she says, almost in disbelief. “I’m really grateful I’ve made it this far and I’m still here.”

Her first job in the city was at a Michelin-star hotel in NoMad, working on the pastry team. The shifts started at 3 a.m. Bread production before sunrise. Setting up for breakfast service while most of the city slept.

“It was one of the hardest jobs I’ve ever had, Everyone took their job so seriously which is great, but it felt militant at times.”

That kitchen shaped her. It taught her discipline. It also showed her what she didn’t want to recreate.

Choosing Plant-Based — On Purpose

Haley didn’t grow up plant-based. Quite the opposite. “My family, we are meat-eaters, As a kid, I used to say if it wasn’t for chicken wings, bacon, and ribs, I’d go vegetarian.” Culinary school changed that. Learning about food systems and sustainability shifted her perspective. She became pescatarian after her first semester, vegetarian by the end of school, and fully plant-based once she moved to New York.

The decision wasn’t about trend. It was about meaning. “If I’m going to cook for people for the rest of my life, I want it to feel intentional. Not just putting food on a plate.”

Her philosophy today centers on celebrating fruits and vegetables, not disguising them. She highlights seasonal produce and leans into whole ingredients rather than heavily processed substitutes.

“The plant-based world has changed, People are tired of fake meat. They want something thoughtful.”

For Haley, limitations are fuel. Cooking without animal products pushes her creativity further. It forces her to think differently about texture, depth, and heat.

A New Mexican Soul in a New York Kitchen

If there’s one ingredient that feels like home to her, it’s red and green chile.

In New Mexico, chile isn’t just flavor — it’s identity. At Cadence, Haley infused Southwestern heat into Southern classics, blending her roots with her experience as a Black chef.

Her green chile mac and cheese says everything about her in one dish: a cauliflower-based cheese sauce cooked in beer (sometimes Modelo), baked with New Mexican Hatch green chiles. Soul food meets Southwest. Comfort meets fire.

“It’s both worlds coming together,” she says. Almost everything on her menu carried heat. “I love spicy food. That’s very New Mexican of me.”

Rethinking Kitchen Culture

Ask Haley about the stereotype of toxic kitchens and she won’t sugarcoat it. “Often, yes, But it doesn’t have to be that way.”

She grew up professionally in kitchens where you kept your head down and didn’t talk back. Where intensity sometimes crossed into fear.

That’s not how she runs her space. “I take the work seriously. But I like to keep it playful. You’re in tight quarters with the same people for nine hours. You have to laugh.”

For her, leadership doesn’t mean intimidation. It means setting the tone without crushing morale. It means people shouldn’t be scared to go to work. The hours are brutal — 50+ hour weeks aren’t unusual for sous chefs and above. The job is physical. Exhausting. Demanding. “But it’s worth it, I love it. I love it so much.”

Music, Tattoos, and DJ Sets

Haley is heavily tattooed. She leans into it. There’s a long-standing stereotype that serious chefs are inked, and she smiles at that cultural overlap.

But her creativity doesn’t stop at food. She also DJs. For her, DJing and cooking are connected. Both are about building an experience. Timing. Energy. Reading the room. Knowing when to turn up the heat, literally or sonically.

When the restaurant is closed and she’s working, music has to be blasting. It puts her in the zone. And if you asked her what sound matches the mood of her plant-based chilaquiles that morning? “A rooster’s crow, Which is ironic.”

On Social Media and “Anyone Can Cook”

Haley has nuanced thoughts about the rise of social media chefs.

She’s happy people love cooking. She respects the hustle. But she believes there’s a difference between being a professional chef and being a great home cook.

“That distinction matters,” she says. Years in kitchens teach you things that don’t always translate to a 60-second video.

When asked to describe New York in three tastes, she doesn’t hesitate: “Spicy, Umami and Sweet.”

What’s Next

After closing her chapter at Cadence in December, Haley is pouring her energy into Long Count in the East Village — a new concept with Overthrow Hospitality that she describes as inventive and unlike anything else in New York. She’s proud of the daily recognition and growth.

But she’s ready for more. “My next goal, is to win an award for the work I’m doing.”

Read more Art and Culture articles from KLATMAG

Interviewed by Valentina Mallol for KLAT TV

Written by Angel Joanne Okonkwo