What made you choose a career as a chef? My parents migrated from El Salvador and I was born in East L.A. I grew up in Baldwin Park and really struggled. I didn’t even think I was going to graduate high school. One day, the career counselor called me into his office...
How in the world did a guy who grew up in Hawaii end up at the Duke’s extension in Huntington Beach?! Right! The Duke’s first two restaurants were in Kauai and Waikiki but I had to move to SoCal to cook Hawaiian food! I love it, though. I truly grew up in the culture...
Each year, the brokers and agents of Surterre Properties choose a non-profit entity for their annual holiday toy drive. I was delighted to hear the news this week that they chose an entity close to my heart, the Illumination Foundation. While more than 400 Surterre...
This is my second week interviewing the top chefs in Orange County who are participating in the famed “OC Chef’s Table” in March 2019. The mastermind event created by Illumination Foundation, this must-attend gala raises funds to help permanently...
These last few days, I’ve been immersed in what is certainly one of the most enjoyable aspects of my life – interviewing chefs. Forty-two of them, actually. For the second year in a row, I have the pleasure of working with the Illumination Foundation and their...