I moved to the US at 16 and went from fast food delivery driver to making $3 million a year. Here's how I did it.

• Chef Andres Mendez moved to NYC and went from fast-food delivery driver to earning over $3M a year.
• Mendez's income skyrocketed when he became a contract chef for Cook Unity, a meal subscription service.
• Cook Unity's expansion and increased demand during the pandemic boosted Mendez's earnings from recipe commissions.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Andres Mendez, a 31-year-old chef in New York City. It has been edited for length and clarity.

When I moved to the United States from Mexico in 2009, I had no idea how much my life would change.