Negocios Now

www.negociosnow.com 8 Junio 2023 CHEF LATINOS SAUL CHAVEZ El Solazo, La Josie Saul "Diablo" Chavez was born in Chihuahua, Mexico. His love for cooking started in 1997 when he got his first job in the kitchen. He earned his nickname for working many hours and coming into work with red, tired eyes. In 2016, Chavez met Jose Barajas. Chavez worked at Barajas' first restaurant, El Solazo, on the South Side while helping develop a menu for his second restaurant La Josie. Chavez continues to create seasonal dishes with rich flavors and authentic Mexican taste. RODOLFO CUADROS Amaru, Bloom Plant Based Kitchen Growing up in Colombia, Rodolfo Cuadros learned how to bring people together — good food. Bringing people together remains his goal at Amaru and Bloom Plant- Based Kitchen in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood. Shortly after opening Amaru and during the pandemic, Cuadros began to offer plant-based dishes to provide healthier options and express his love of a plant-based lifestyle. That is how Bloom was born. In 2022 it won a Bib Gourmand Award from Michelin. DIANA DÁVILA Mi Tocaya Antojería Diana Dávila has established herself within the restaurant industry over the past 20 years by working relentlessly to change the stigma around Mexican cuisine. A Chicago native, Dávila began working in her parent's taqueria at age 10. She uses fresh ingredients and bold flavors while serving Mexican favorites and lesser-known regional specialties. Mi Tocaya and Dávila have received numerous awards, including Bon Appetit's Best New Restaurants 2017 and a Bib Gourmand Award from Michelin. JESUS DELGADO Tanta Cocina Peruana Jesus Delgado was born and raised in Peru. When he was a child, his family owned and operated a small market in Lima. This early exposure to Peru's melting pot of culture fueled his desire to become a chef and share his homeland's cuisine. As chef de cuisine of Tanta in Chicago, Delgado focuses on dishes iconic to Peru, such as his specialty of cebiche, in addition to several lesser-known plates that showcase the multi-culturalism and biodiversity of the country. DUDLEY NIETO Executive Chef, Consultant, and Catering Award-winning chef Dudley Nieto grew up in Puebla, México. At age 21, Nieto intended to study medicine but pursued culinary school. After graduating from Le Cordon Bleu, Chef Nieto brought his Mexican palate and classic French technique to kitchens nationwide. He's opened countless restaurants, including Adobo Grill and Chapulin in Chicago, and after working in other cities, returned to the Midwest last year to guide the opening of Mezcalina in Chicago. CARLOS GAYTÁN Chef/Partner, Somos Hospitality Group Born in Huitzuco, Guerrero, Mexico, Carlos Gaytán cultivated his culinary passion alongside his mother. At 20, he moved to Chicago and began his career as a dishwasher and cook. His first restaurant was Mexique, fusing Mexican and French cuisine and earning him the distinction in 2013 of being the first Mexican-born chef to receive a Michelin star. He returned to Mexico to study cooking, then to Chicago and opened Tzuco, a restaurant presenting Mexican flavors with a French technique twist. ARMANDO GONZÁLEZ Chef-Owner Amerikas Growing up in Oaxaca, Mexico, Armando González was surrounded by the unique flavors of his country. His mother ran a fonda in town, which planted González's culinary roots deep in México. For the past 15 years he has manned kitchens at some of Chicago's best-known restaurants such as Mas, Bin 36, mk, and Libertad. America has been called a melting pot of cultures, and Amerikas is also that, blending Latino roots with worldwide flavors to create a unique taste. SERGIO OROSCO Executive Chef The Signature Room Sergio Orosco is from the city of Toluca. He studied gastronomy at the Washington University Institute in Toluca and started working in restaurants. After several years he arrived in Chicago and worked at Mexiquè with Carlos Gaytan, the first Mexican chef to win a Michelin star. As Gaytan's second in command, Orosco produced dishes that blended elements of Mexican gastronomy with French cuisine. Today he is the first young Latino to be executive chef at The Signature Room. ATZIMBA PEREZ Chef & Owner Atzimba Catering And Events With over 25 years of experience in the culinary arts industry, Perez brings pre-Hispanic traditional Mexican cuisine to Chicago. She has enjoyed working with several highly recognized chefs since arriving from México in 1996. Her work was recognized in the six-episode series "No Passport Required" on WTTW in Chicago. Perez studied hospitality and gastronomy at Colegio Nacional de Educación Profesional Técnica in Mexico and left behind her own catering business when she moved to the United States. YANITZIN SANCHEZ Consultant Chef Since she was born in Toluca, Mexico, where she loved the aromas and flavors of her homeland, Yanitzin "Yanni" Sanchez has gained experience in venues such as the Ritz Carlton in Paris and The Mayan Palace in Cancun and Acapulco. Sanchez completed her training as a chef at the Ecole de Boulangerie et Pâtisserie de Paris in France. She has convinced the secret of great cooking is the cooking ritual and believing in each dish's possibility. STEPHEN SANDOVAL Sueños Sandoval was raised in San Diego, California, and has Mexican, New Orleans, and Spanish roots. He began his cooking career in 2008, spent four years under his mentor Rick Bayless, and focused on the flavors that migrated across the border near San Diego. In 2022, Sandoval had the opportunity to test his restaurant concept, Sueños, in Soho House. Enthusiastic reviews led to Diego, a bar slated to open mid- summer, and Entre Sueños, a Baja- Med restaurant planned for fall. JOSÉ ANDRÉS Jaleo by Andrés, Bazaar Meat by Andrés Born in Spain, where he learned the craft of cooking first from his parents and in the kitchen of Ferran Adrià's avant-garde restaurant elBulli, José Andrés immigrated to the United States in 1991. Andrés is a pioneer of Spanish tapas in the United States and is known for avant-garde cuisine. He holds two Michelin stars for minibar by Andrés in Washington, D.C., and four Bib Gourmand Awards from Michelin. In 2010 he established World Central Kitchen, which uses culinary training to empower communities and provides food disaster relief. The James Beard Foundation named him Best Chef Mid-Atlantic in 2003 and Humanitarian of the Year in 2018. Former President Barack Obama awarded Andrés the National Humanities Medal in 2015.

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