United under one dream are Malachi Jenkins and Roberto Smith, two L.A. natives, who emerged from a m.A.A.d environment to revolutionize the food business.

Together, Jenkins and Smith are the masterminds behind the wildly popular Trap Kitchen, a famous fried chicken and soul food catering service that has everyone from Snoop Dogg to Dave Chappelle, Kobe Bryant, and more, raving about their finger-licking dishes. To hear them tell it, their journey to culinary arts arrived like a fork in the road. “We from Compton at that. Gang violence, we was raised around it, we was into it. So to change, we had to get in the kitchen,” they told REVOLT recently. “Don’t ever count the chef out.”

With a story to tell and inspiration to draw from, both Jenkins and Smith recently invited REVOLT to their world-famous kitchen and shared their coming of age tale. Check it out below. Also, be sure to follow the two world-class chefs on Instagram at their respective handles @therealtrapkitchen and @trapkitchen_news.

Interview | Malachi Jenkins and Roberto Smith of Trap Kitchen