About Us

Lamar Brown was born on Christmas Eve, at Sarasota Memorial Hospital (Sarasota, FL). Lavesia raised Lamar singularly in concert with his older sister. Lamar describes his childhood as meek yet enjoyable. 

To provide for her family, Lamar's mother worked long hours at the same hospital where he was born. This left Lamar's sister as his surrogate mom. His slightly older sister championed making sure homework was complete, baths were taken and food was prepared for dinner every weekday while their mother worked. Most evenings went without a hitch for the two. There was only one problem; it was her signature dish, "Oodles of Noodles." Lamar hated eating this night in and night out.

At 8 years old Lamar had grown tired of his sister's incessant noodle addiction and decided to try his hands at cooking his own dinner. His first meal prepared came from items that he frequently looked past while foraging through the house refrigerator looking for snacks that were never there. It was simply; chicken and fries. It is not safe to say, "The rest is history." The kitchen caught on fire and nearly burned down the house!  

Lamar decided to continue his quest of avoiding instant noodle soups for dinner even though his first experience almost ended in tragedy. He continually replayed moments when he witnessed his mother; aunts, grandfather, and grandmother create masterpieces for his family and himself and became inspired. He continued honing his acumen on simple dishes that no one would miss if the food accidentally burned and he had to discard it. Understanding that the alternative to his failing to cook edible meals for him and his sister was noodles; Lamar got better in no time.

He never took cooking seriously; it was just a means to an end for his sister and himself. As a latchkey kid with a vivid imagination, Lamar had dreams of becoming a police officer in his neighborhood of Newtown (Sarasota). He started his working career in his early teens at local grocery stores as a stocker and dietary aide at multiple retirement homes. None of the jobs held longevity for him. 

The dreams of becoming an officer of the law eventually dissipated after a sequence of decisions found him on the other side of the law and a high school dropout. He had become another victim and statistic on the streets. 

After dodging authorities and living in obscurity for the better part of a decade, Lamar decided to go back to school and earn his GED to check a requisite for a job application. At the tender age of 28, Lamar earned the equivalent of a high school diploma. After finding success in the classroom and deciding that his calling was within culinary arts, Lamar decided to enroll at Keiser University. Simultaneously he began working his way through the ranks for Hilton on Longboat Key. In 2016, Lamar earned his Associate of Science degree in Culinary Arts and was finally able to provide his mother and his sister with a graduating moment for their contributions to his life. 

For the next couple of years Lamar primarily worked at the Lido Resort, barbequed on the weekends, and picked up small catering jobs whenever they came. He has executed titles from dishwasher, to prep cook, to line cook, to sous chef, to grill master, to chef.

In late 2018, Chef Lamar decided to take his expertise back to the streets which sent him to cooking professionally in the first place. That year he founded his own food truck business. He paired his catering learned through years of working in resorts from upstate New York down to Lido Beach, Florida with a fast food feel and pricing to produce his food truck menu. He also continues to receive rave reviews with his "Compound Catering" imprint throughout the Suncoast. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Chef Lamar found himself being frequently requested to cater private dinner parties This opened a distinct lane for him that he has navigated ever since.

For the last few years, Chef Lamar has learned from and prepared meals with Celebrity Chef Tobias Dorzon (Food Network/Huncho's House), Chef Sean McDermott (The Shanty, RI) as well as Executive Chef Adam Savage (Sagamore Resort/The Queensbury Hotel) amongst others. 

Chef Lamar has traveled the country as a guest chef to cities such as Nashville, Washington D.C., Denver, Gatlinburg, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Orlando, Boston, New York City & Miami. He has prepared meals for current and former NFL players such as Pro Bowler/Super Bowl Champion Sam Shields, Baraka Atkins & Chris Hannon. Chef Lamar was also brought in by Chef Dorzon to assist with prep and meals for Houston Rockets All-Star James Harden during the 2020 NBA Bubble in Orlando. 

Chef Lamar has catered large events with an excess of 300 guests such as weddings, family reunions, and Look Who's in Business Expo alike. Chef Lamar has perfected intimate dinner parties for 2-10 guests. In 2020 Chef Lamar expanded his services to a meal-prep option to accommodate so many requests. He currently meal preps for Envision Construction Management and the administrative team for Suncoast School for Innovative Studies.

Chef Lamar also known as the Compound Chef has circumnavigated a truly auspicious culinary journey. He has made something out of nothing. One thing that has held true throughout his epic is that instant noodles have not and will not be eaten for dinner any time soon!