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Marc Renson is a chef and owner of Ambition Coffee & Eatery in Schenectady, New York, and the author of How Will I Know. In this interview, he discusses his journey from running a restaurant to writing, the inspirations behind his latest book, and the creative processes that guide his work.

Editor’s Note: The following interview reflects the personal experiences, beliefs, and reflections of the interviewee, including spiritual and anecdotal elements. Mentions of public figures are part of the interviewee’s narrative.

Marc, thank you for joining us. Can you start by introducing yourself—who you are, what you do, and what drives your work as both a chef and an author?

Hello everyone! I’m Marc Renson, the chef and author at Ambition Coffee & Eatery in Schenectady, NY. I love food, music, and Hollywood, and have invited all of that into my restaurant. I unknowingly unleashed my soul into my restaurant, and by doing that, I allowed the Law of Attraction to work.
I love what I do—it’s passion that drives me. The ability to create something out of what was once nothing.

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Running a restaurant for 25 years requires persistence and creativity. How have the skills and mindset from your culinary career influenced your writing?

Persistence and creativity are needed to operate a restaurant. It’s a tough business. The average restaurant lasts eight years. There are many competitors competing for the same business, and it’s up to you, the owner, to get those guests and keep them coming back. Creativity is what will keep them coming back. If they don’t get bored, you’ll have a customer for life. That same formula is needed for writing. Who wants to read a boring book?
My experience as a chef—the creativity and my intuition—is what brings me the joy and excitement to write books, and it’s persistence that’s needed to finish writing the book. So many people start but never finish.

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You’ve worked with a remarkable range of clients, from Hollywood stars to Broadway casts. How have these experiences shaped your approach to storytelling and hospitality?

I’ve been fortunate enough to hear my calling as a chef. When I released my soul into my restaurant and allowed myself to shine, everything that I loved started manifesting. Prayers were answered. Doors swung open. I never dreamed I would be hired as Bradley Cooper’s personal chef while he filmed a movie, but there you go—unleash the magic, and doors swing open.
It’s these magic moments that created the narrative for my books.

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Your latest book, How Will I Know, combines fantasy, inspiration, and personal interests. What inspired this story, and how did you weave your passions into it?

My latest book, How Will I Know, was inspired when I heard a thought drift through my mind: write a book, call it How Will I Know, and use Whitney Houston as a guardian angel. I loved the idea! It’s everything that sparks my interest—food (my character is a down-on-his-luck chef), music, and Hollywood—well, that’s all Whitney Houston! And what a dynamic combination this book makes!

The restaurant business, as I said earlier, is a tough business. Business owners are met with a lot of resistance. I took all of my life’s challenges and made them the storyline for my character Michael Monroe, a down-on-his-luck chef who screams to the universe, “Just give me a sign,” and he meets his guardian angel—who just happens to be Whitney Houston. That thought gives me the biggest smile!

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The book has received multiple awards and recognition. Can you share what these acknowledgments mean to you and your journey as a writer?

How Will I Know has won three awards now. Awards are confirmations to a writer that their work is validated—that it’s appreciated and worthy of praise. To be acknowledged as an award-winning author builds confidence. It creates buzz and media attention, and it’s this attention that an author needs to help promote and sell books.

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Creativity and reinvention seem central to both your culinary and literary careers. How do you generate new ideas, experiment with them, and turn them into memorable experiences or stories?

Creativity and reinvention run parallel for both cooking and writing. It takes imagination to create an entrée, a sauce, a sandwich—or a Boozy Muffin, as in my case.

I like to meditate. I’ve learned to tap into my higher self and receive ideas and prompts. I like to run 5Ks. I run without music so I can hear my heartbeat and breathing, and as an idea pops into my head, I play with the “what ifs” rather than being distracted by blaring music in my ears. It’s one way I’ve learned how to create miracles.

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Facing reviews and feedback is part of your work in restaurants and publishing. How do you navigate criticism while maintaining confidence in your craft?

Criticism is the sword every person must slay. Myself, I’ve had a good teacher—Madonna. As a gay man, I grew up emulating Madonna. I watched how she handled criticism and the relentless media attacks. She taught me to be tough and not to show emotion, even when it hurts—like the heartless reviewer who reviewed my restaurant or my book.

People love to leave reviews. They love being heard. It’s a hard pill to swallow, but as a chef and author, I have accepted the fact that not everyone is going to like me. Once you come to terms with that reality, it allows you the freedom of letting go.

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Balancing multiple disciplines—culinary arts, writing, and entrepreneurship—requires focus and adaptability. What principles or habits help you thrive across these fields?

Finding balance and discipline is a slippery slope. Always be true to yourself. You can lie to a lot of people, but you can’t lie to yourself. Many chefs, authors, or entertainers turn to alcohol or substances to obtain creativity. The problem is, it’s an outward reality. Eventually the high wears off and you return to the same person you were. So you do the high again. But now you’ve become two personalities, and it’s very hard to live up to an artificial image of yourself.

Again, I like to meditate. Who knows me better than me? I go to my higher self, and it prompts me to follow inspiration—and it’s how I create my successes and happiness.

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Looking back, what pivotal moments or challenges shaped your career path, and how did you use them as opportunities for growth?

Feeding Bradley Cooper changed my life. Had I not taught myself to meditate, I would’ve missed the voice I heard while in Memphis, Tennessee. As I walked a sidewalk, I saw a key on the ground. A voice in my mind said, “Pick up the key.” So I did. The voice then said, “This key will unlock all the doors to your future.” OK, I thought, pretty cool.

Two weeks later, Bradley Cooper walks into my life and asks me to feed him a paleo diet for seven weeks while he films a movie. This explodes my life! Because when I said yes to Bradley, I was also saying yes to Ryan Gosling, Eva Mendez, and Ray Liotta, as they were all in this film. I received so much free local publicity, as well as Bradley Cooper, who paid me extremely well.

This changed my finances and how I was perceived as both a chef and a popular restaurant. Then national news media found me—TMZ came calling for all the gossip, which I did not give. This was when Eva and Ryan started dating, and the media was relentless in calling my restaurant. My popularity skyrocketed.

And on top of that, a theater in my town that hosts entertainers and Broadway touring shows like Jersey Boys and Wicked said, “If you can feed Bradley, you can feed our entertainers.” So for seven years after feeding Bradley, I fed all the entertainers, casts, and crews that came through town.
And all because I heard a voice that said, “Pick up the key!”

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Beyond your professional achievements, what lessons or insights do you hope your story offers to others pursuing ambitious, creative paths?

Every person wants to be seen and heard and loved. As humans, it’s part of our DNA makeup. The lessons and insights I hope to leave my readers are to follow your own path. What excites you? What brings you the most happiness? What do you want to be remembered for?

These are some of the questions Whitney asks my character as his guardian angel to help get him on his way—to help him follow his own path.

Find your truths. Don’t be afraid to change your mind. Be open to possibilities, even when they come from unusual situations—like a voice that says to pick up the key. And when you hear that voice that says to pick up the key, then act, and pick up the damn key!

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