Stay Tranquilo - Iron Chef José Garces on Latin Food, Family Traditions & CookUnity Meals

Episode Date: April 28, 2026

Chef Garces shares his incredible journey from growing up in an Ecuadorian-American household to becoming one of the most recognized chefs in the country. We dive into family traditions, Latin food culture, CookUnity, beating Bobby Flay on Iron Chef America, and why Latino cuisine still has massive opportunity in the U.S. We also talk about Ecuadorian ceviche, food and sports culture, authenticity in cooking, and how young chefs can find their niche in the culinary world. If you love food, entrepreneurship, Latin culture, and inspiring stories—this episode is for you. Presented by H&CO and featuring Chef Garces as part of CookUnity. #ChefJoseGarces #CookUnity #IronChef #LatinCuisine #CafecitoYCroquetas #StayTranquilo #FoodPodcast #BobbyFlay #EcuadorianFood #LatinoCulture #ChefInterview #HCO Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Latin cooking, when I looked at the spectrum of the marketplace and what was out there competitively from other chefs and other cuisines, I saw that Latin cooking still had a huge, huge hole in it. Still, you know, big market. And still to this day, it's still kind of open. It's not like, you know, there hasn't been a big ascension of Latin chefs promoting Latin culture and cuisine that I've seen. There certainly are some, but it could be more.

And so when I made that decision to, like, hone in on Latin culture. cooking. That also changed my whole trajectory and my whole way of thinking about this career and where I could do it. All right, guys, welcome back to another episode of Stay Tranquilo, our Cafesito and Croqueta segment. Today, we are joined by a special guest, chef Jose Gatzes. A pleasure to have you here. Thank you so much for taking the time. Great to be here. Thanks for having me. Absolutely. So as part of this, I know you're involved with Cook unity. So I definitely want to bring that up as part of this conversation. But before any of it, you know, a big part of all of what we like to do here at Stay Tranquilo is share stories, right?

And we would love to be able to share your story. Tell us a little bit about how food and cuisine and cooking became such a part of your life. Wow. Well, it's such a long story. I mean, I've been doing this for almost 30 years. So a little over 30 years. And really, it started for me in my home, in my parents' home. My parents were both, they were both immigrants from Ecuador in the late 1960s. I was born in the early 70s. I won't date myself too much. And I grew up in a Ecuadorian-American household.

You know, my parents, you know, really just trying to make ends meet, you know, bring, put food on the table, give us a good education, and, you know, create a, create a good home environment and at the same time maintain our like latin roots or ecuadorian roots while i was out there on the street you know trying to be american you know kind of really you know socialize and kind of you know live this this this lifestyle of assimilation while keeping true to my roots so food was always a big part of that in my house and my my parents my grandma all really great cooks my grandma in particular mamita amada was a amazing cook She was the matriarch of our family taught everybody how to cook.

In fact, I brought her to me in her late 80s. I had this thought that she could help me raise my one-year-old daughter at the time. And a little misguided into planning, she was cooking all the time. She wasn't watching my daughter. But, no, it really, it started at home for me. And, you know, I think being. being exposed to such great cooking and that, you know, it was a familial event, especially on the weekends,

but my mom would get home from work and she would make a meal. And oftentimes I was there after school. I was her, you know, her sous chef in the moment. She recruited me. And I just had a love for the kitchen from a young age. And again, having those Latin flavors introduced were really at still, at the center of my cooking, still guide me every day after all. these years. No, that's amazing. And it's funny, right, when you talk to, you know, people in your

space, right, I think there's a commonality in the fact that there's always some sort of family influence, right? generational influence. But I think even deeper than that is kind of like you mentioned, right, that Latino aspect, right? Because it's such a true part of our culture, right? It's a true part of our identity. I look at, you know, I'm not a chef by any stretch of the imagination, but I do enjoy to cook, right? And part of the reason why I believe to this day why I enjoy to cook is because of my abuela, right? Being in the kitchen with her, seeing her.

And for me, it was interesting because I, you know, I've always been close to my grandmother growing up and she was a big part of, you know, even raising me at a young age. But she actually was brought back into our household late in life, right? So I got to appreciate her and her cooking in a very different way than I did when I was. was young, right? When you're, you know, maybe eight, nine, 10 years old, you're just eating the food because it tastes good, right? And you're like, okay, that's great, right? But I wasn't really

immersing myself in the kitchen as she was cooking. You know, fast forward, you know, 20 years, a few years before she passes away, she's there cooking every single night. And she's like, what do you want? You want a rocum polloa, tortilla, right? It was always something. And I look at it now and I'm like, man, you know, I'm so glad that I had to, I had that as part of my life. Because when you talk about generational influence, right? And in your case, you know, your, your work's influence, it's cool to see how it's passed on from generation to generation because that's how we keep these Latin traditions alive. And I think that's something that's so unique in this space. Agreed. And I think if you were raising a family, I'll say this. And I had the good fortune

of bringing my mom into my world when I raised my kids. And, And she was such an inspirational, such a motivating factor for the kids, not only from the language standpoint, but from the food. I mean, they came home and they had great meals every day after school. And I think they so appreciated that now, my children are now once 23 and one's 19. And they're good cooks. They enjoy the kitchen. They enjoy making food. And so I think that in that moment, I was like, man, I really could use my.

mom's help because I'm working and I'm doing things. But the language and cultural impacts of having their grandmother around was, I think, amazing for them. And really, I think I've seen them grow up so far to be like really good responsible adults, but also ones that care about tradition, care about, you know, Latin foods and cooking. No, I mean, we're the next generation, right? So how do we keep those traditions alive and I think food is one of those things music right so many different layers that come to it my tradition that I'm Cuban American right my grandparents were born in Cuba and they uh one of the traditions that I grew up with was around nocho on right the kaha chinna and cooking the the puerto right on right on the 24th before Christmas and I remember around 18 years

old no one was really willing to keep the tradition alive my grandfather already had passed away family members had moved and everyone kind of just does their thing. And I'm like, you know what? I'm going to put it upon myself to keep that tradition alive. And now it's been 12 years where I've been doing the pig every single year and it's become like a staple. And it's brought everybody together. Right now it's like it's something to look forward to. And I look at it and I'm like, shoot, if I don't do this, then what are we doing on Nocho? And are we just ordering something from La Carta or something like that and calling it a day, right? So it is pretty awesome to see. and being able to carry traditions through the next generation

and the next generation. And hopefully my kids do the same when that time comes. Good for you. And I'll just tell you, I've been a part of that tradition. And my ex-wife, my first wife, Beatriz is Cuban. Okay. And her family is in Miami. And we've maintained a great relationship,

co-parenting relationship, beautiful relationship, to the fact that we celebrate the holidays and special occasions and birthdays together. and Noce Buena has been in Miami for many years. So I get it. And I love that tradition. One I think that's special and should be celebrated. Absolutely.

So obviously, family influence for you. But when was it for you that you realized, hey, not only do I have a passion for this, but this is something that I could turn into an occupation, right? A career. Something that at the end of the day is something you're passionate about, but you can obviously make money and make a living off of that. Yeah, so I went to a few years of undergraduate college education, and I came to realize that it was not for me.

Just, you know, academia wasn't really calling me. There wasn't any subject matter or anything. It was like, oh, I could really do this. Right. And I went to culinary school in search of a vocation or trade because at about 19 or 20 when I was, you know, looking for where I'm going to, where's my? My path is going, what am I going to do here? And I had no one in the, no one in my family was in hospitality or the restaurant industry or any, any aspect of it, really, other than we love to cook at home and we love good meals.

Right. So I got to, I got to culinary school and I realized, you know, for me it was definitely like, I need a vocation, I need to trade, I need to find ways to like make a living. And I figured, you know, I like working with my hands. And it was also, I was a high school athlete, and I realized that I, you know, structure and discipline around in my life was important. And I found that in the kitchen pretty quickly. You know, the uniforms, the crisp white hats, just kind of the brigade style system, the order that was needed in order to create meals was something that was a calling. But, you know, really, the moment where I was like, whoa, like, I'm cooking amongst all my classmates and I'm cooking pretty well.

And I'm kind of outperforming everybody. I'm thinking about food when I go home. I'm in my home kitchen on the weekend, like getting my knife skills down, you know, peeling carrots, like chopping onions, just working on my skills. And for the first time of my life, I was inspired to go outside, go above and beyond my, you know, just kind of what the assignments were in front of me. And so it was a discovery. And it was a discovery that, again, was very serendipitous, was, you know, I was fortunate to find this craft, this love that I had. And I, you know, I really, I'm very thankful for that moment that I walked into that school. and it got me and it opened up my eyes to all other aspects of the industry, whether it was

working in a cruise line, working at a hotel, working in catering, working in restaurants. I was just like, oh, man, and I can travel and go and in the search of great food. And so for me, it was just such an amazing discovery at a young part of my life. Absolutely, right. I mean, I think 18, 19 years old, right? That's that age where everyone's doing that soul searching, right? it's seeing what you like, what you don't like, and both are just as important, right? It's like, you hear so much, oh, you got to do what you love, right?

But I think to find what it is that you love, you also have to find what you don't like, right? And I think for you, that was something that happened early on, right, where you're sitting there in school and you're saying, hey, this just isn't for me. And I think that's a huge part of the process of just self-discovery at a young age, just really trying to identify who you are, what are the things that drive you every single day? What are the things that are pushing you to wake up and say, hey, I want to do this today, right? Because it's very easy to kind of get caught up in the rat race just saying, hey, I need to make a quick dollar. And all of a sudden, 20 years go by and you're like, damn, I never really did what I wanted to do, right? So props to you to going out there and chasing the dream because at the end of the day, we know that it's definitely not easy. I would imagine that I went through a lot of trial and error to get to that point

or a lot of odd jobs and different, you know, putting myself in different experiences that were like, oh, this doesn't feel good. So when I did find that, and again, I feel lucky. And you're right. Like, it's scary to think 20 years can go by and you're like, oh, man, I still haven't found that. And I know that happens. I know that exists for folks.

but again, I'm grateful that I found it, and I think it's a process for sure. And I think everyone should, you know, if we can, mentor the youth to go and really go through that trial and error process. Explore, find out what works. What is driving you? What is going to drive? What is going to make you wake up every day? And I had a moment in cooking where I was French classically trained. and I was also, I had opened a Greek restaurant.

I'd worked in an American contemporary restaurant as well in New York. And I worked at the Rainbow Room. And even after those experiences, I was like, you know, okay, but where is this going? You know, I don't have like a specialty. I don't have like, you know, really something that's, again, that's driving me. So I had a pivot in that moment, too. be like, okay. So I realized that, you know, Latin cooking, when I looked at the spectrum of the marketplace and what was out there competitively from other chefs and other cuisines, I saw that Latin cooking

still had a huge, huge hole in it. Still, you know, big market and still to this day, it's still kind of open. It's not like, you know, there hasn't been a big ascension of Latin chefs promoting Latin culture and cuisine that I've seen. There certainly are some, but could be more. And so when I made that decision to like hone in on Latin cooking, that also changed my whole trajectory and my whole way of thinking about this career and where I could do with it. Oh, yeah, absolutely. And I agree. I think there is a massive gap in still. And just Latino focus across the board, right?

Where you're talking sports, food, music, right? Obviously, Bad Bunny and like the Super Bowl, you see what, you know, what type of impact that that has. and I think there's so much insight and data, right, that's behind there saying you got to pay attention to the Latinos. You got to pay attention to that marketplace, right? Because it's the largest growing demographic in the United States. They represent over $3 billion in purchasing power, right? So there's a ton of data to back up exactly what it is that you're saying now, right? Like, not only do we eat the food, but we listen to the music and we partake in the events, right?

So I think there's so much to be said about that market. and we do food a little bit differently, right? And I think what's also unique about the Latino market, right? You could be Cuban, you could be Puerto Rican, right? Columbia and Venezuelan, right? And yes, there's similarities between each one of them, but there's also so much difference in the cuisine. So I would love to get your perspective on that.

Like, what is it that makes it so unique? What is it that makes it so special? Oh, man, right? My will house, man. Good job. Good work. Way to tee that up. That's awesome.

Because I wrote a book called The Latin Road Home, which it focuses on five Spanish-speaking countries. So Spain, Mexico, Ecuador, Cuba, and Peru. And I write menus from each country that are weekday menus and full blowout, like, weekend menus. And the book is based around that. But it really is talking about the distinction between the various cuisines. And I think what you have is just a lot of different influences. And each country has had its own share of conquerors and other inspirations from different countries, different ethnic groups that have come into the country and created that cuisine.

So you might have, in the Caribbean, you might have a little more African influence, where in Mexico you might have more Spanish influence. but then obviously the call it ancient cuisine of Mexico that has man just lasted so many years

and it's still relevant to this day I think that actually that story needs to be told a little bit more and then you know I think you go to South America and it really it's I mean it's so it's so varied when you get down to Argentina and Chile and kind of you know the meat cookery

and this idea and it's also like a little more European influence. And then I'm from Ecuador and have traveled to Peru in search of cuisine as well. And so those countries also have their own unique style and competitive nature. Like whose sibece is the best. You know, Peruvians or Ecuadorians, they'll fight about it all the time. And so there is a lot to be told there as far as like the differences. But I think it just comes down to just influence who's been there, who's settled there,

who's spent time and who's imparted their own, like, flavors and styles. And that's the beauty of cooking is, you know, the influences. So I'm actually, I'm here in Portland, Maine right now. We recently have become Mainers over here. And I'm like, I'm just loving the access to coastal seafood. There's great farms around here as well. But now I'm here. right and now i'm going to start cooking my food in this area which doesn't really exist that

much there's some of it but there's not a lot of it right and so i'm hopeful that you know i can share some wisdom some knowledge around latin culture and cuisine and uh yeah bring it to main you know so it's a fun it's a fun time that's cool yeah right right it doesn't it doesn't like you said it doesn't really exist right now you could be the one to bring it into into an area that doesn't really have too much of that presence and then all of a sudden that opens Pandora's box of shoot, maybe more and more people want to start bringing that influence into that area, which I think is that's how it's got to be.

Well, and I go back to my Philadelphia story. So I've lived in Philly 25 years. Just recently moved up here, and I raised my kids in Philadelphia. It's a beautiful place for me and my family. We had a great professional career as well as community building that we did there. but when I opened the Mata, my Spanish tapas restaurant in 2005, there were zero Spanish restaurants in Philadelphia.

Wow. There may have been one or two that we're saying they were Spanish or they were like a coffee shop sort of thing doing cafe conchuros, but really no restaurants. And so within, you know, we opened Amada in 2005, and I got a James Beard nomination. in 2007 and just some notoriety around the restaurant and next thing you know there's like four to five

new Spanish restaurants in the area. I'm like, okay, guys, have at it. Go for it, bring it on, you know, and the more the merrier because we're teaching folks, we're educating them on Spanish culture and cuisine. And that's something that I've had a lot of pride in doing. No matter which concept that I created, it really is about bringing sure and authenticity back to the table and and and sharing those experiences with everybody.

Absolutely. I think you bring up a key word in all this, right? Authenticity. How do people bring out that authenticity, right? I think it's easy when you have some sort of influence, right? Whether you're from these places, you've visited these places and spent some time, but how do you make sure to keep that authenticity? So, you know, we were talking about earlier around like just, you know, my exposure to the opportunities that exist in the culinary field. And one of the ones I really treasured, I really just was, like, piqued my interest. Because I'm a traveler by nature.

I enjoy traveling and exploring. And to do it for the sake of food, for the sake of learning, has been everything. So any restaurant brand that I created or concepted, always involved a pretty deep dive into that culture, in terms of going to, if we were opening an Argentinian steakhouse, I spent time in Uruguay and Buenos Aires and Argentina, just understanding.

And certainly, I lived and worked in Spain for some time and traveled there pretty extensively in order to really honor the cuisine, honor it the best I can. And there's always, I'm never going to, like, hit it perfectly. Somebody's grandma is going to say, hey, that's not really Popo Gallego, what are you talking about, this sort of thing. and that's fine.

Nobody's ever going to be, I think, you know, as authentic as it's just hard to like pinpoint that. But definitely is trying to stay true to it. And really, I think to me, that exploration is a big part of it. Absolutely. Absolutely. Well, I know you had, you know, an iconic moment with Bobby Flay. So I definitely want to bring that up. Talk to us about that experience, just being involved with him. and just kind of that time of your life and what that meant for you.

Yeah, I mean, I think competitive cooking has been a big part of my life, and it was certainly. And not so much anymore. I'm kind of happy that that part is good. I'll be happy to go judge and hang out all that. But it was a pretty intense time. So I battled Bobby on Iron Chef America in 2007. seven. I had actually auditioned that year to become, they had a show called The Next Iron Chef Season 1. So I auditioned didn't make the cut, but they said, hey, you did pretty good in your

audition. Why don't you come and compete on Iron Chef? So Bobby and I did battle melon and it was like Crenshaw melon, baby watermelon, honeydew, all different kinds of melons. And we just brought, I think, a little more contemporary style of cooking to kitchen stadium that day. And it was a pretty epic battle. I'll never, I'll never forget it. And I think, you know, we managed to beat Bobby, which was fantastic, great. But that led to my next step, which was becoming an Iron Chef. So in 2009, I auditioned again for the second season of Next Iron Chef. And I beat nine other competitors on that show to become an iron chef, which was pretty awesome. Like that whole experience.

So on that show, we had battles in Tokyo and then the finale in New York. And it was just epic and kind of life-changing in many ways. Because once I became an iron chef, it opened up opportunities, opened up relationships that I still hold today. and was able to battle pretty regularly on television a year and a year out on Food Network. And it was awesome. It was so much fun. It was one of the most exhilarating things I've ever done. Absolutely.

And when you kind of look back at it now, obviously, you know the opportunities and everything that it was able to provide for you, right? You get that publicity and so many people become aware of you. But when you look back at it, you know, maybe when you were 10, 50, 15 years old, let's say, right? Did you ever envision yourself maybe doing something like that, you know, taking your cooking onto a show like that? No, I was, I was at 10 or 15.

I was heavily into like football and wrestling. Okay. So I thought if I was going to go anywhere, it might be, you know, playing college, playing NFL, whatever. It was like the dream. Exactly. I didn't think, so the thought of cooking competitively never crossed my mind. Really, really it did not.

but the competitor in me was always there. So I think I brought that competitiveness from my, you know, childhood and middle school years to the table. And, yeah, still do every day. That's awesome. That's awesome. So obviously sports have been a big part of your life, right? Even, you know, I know cook unity, they've, you know, integrated themselves and positioned themselves in the sports space as well. But I want to get your perspective, you know, as a chef.

like what is that combination between cuisine and sports, right? I mean, I think there's kind of like this growing, what's the word, kind of like just growing dynamic, right? Like culture and sports and, you know, whether that's through music, that's through food. But I'm curious what your perspective is, right? Like how do those two worlds kind of collide? Well, I think, first off, from just a competitive standpoint,

point, we are as chefs, we are in business to, you know, make money, you know, kind of raise, raise dollars, you know, raise sales, have our food really be a business for us. Right. So just at its core. So when you're in a marketplace, you're competing, right? You're competing against the guy up the street. My burger is going to be better than yours, you know, whatever. And that's just, that's just the reality of it is we're, we're competing.

And so sports is obviously a competitive in nature by every stretch. So I do think that sports and, and food really, really collide all the time. And just, again, just from a competitive aspect. And as chefs, we compete to, again, make the best dishes we can make. But I think what's cool, what's happening with food and sports right now, again, outside of like the business side of it. Right. It's just that, you know, there's a health and wellness aspect to cooking now that really aligns with competitiveness and being healthy and being using food to fuel yourself to, you know, be the best competitor you can be. So it's great to see that the chef craft can really mold itself towards using creativity to create healthy, delicious meals.

And that's one of the things that's been happening at Cook Unity is they really have, as a company, as a company initiative, have said, hey, there's so many special dietary restrictions that folks are out there. They're looking for. They're craving. So let's use our most talented chefs to create delicious, healthy meals. And that's where we're at right now. It's low fat, high protein, really low carb meals that really taste good. And so that's where I think that both things are coming aligned. And it's not only for sports, it's also just lifestyle in general.

So it's great to see all of that come together. Absolutely. Yeah, it is crazy, this health conscious boom that has come. I'm here in Miami, and I think we've always kind of been like a very health-conscious. a city overall, but since I guess, you know, post-pandemic, right, it's really been this big boom of just being more conscious about your health, right? That's from the food that you eat, just being more active and just kind of creating a very holistic, healthy lifestyle. And food, obviously, is at the forefront of that, but the reputation around food, too, right? And I think

you nailed it, right? Food as fuel. And I think more people need to understand that, yes, food is important, right? Like you shouldn't not eat just to try to like lose weight, right? It's eating, but it's eating well and it's it's eating right. So as kind of like a restaurant owner, right, where you kind of have that creativity side, right, where you're trying to create a unique menu and be different out there. How do you balance both creating a unique menu while also being health conscious? Well, I think it's like you mentioned balance because,

Because even though there is a craving or a desire for healthy meals, the market still wants to be, they still want to be satiated with delicious, you know, craveable items. Absolutely. You know, and so, you know, while on Cook Unity, I often have to balance. You know, I have a few great, really good selling dishes. So I have a, let's call it, JG's adobe mac and cheese. It's a chicken mac and cheese with adobe. And it's just like, calories are not there. If you're calorie conscious, it's not the dish for you.

But here's the thing, though, it sells. It sells well. So then, but I'm also considering our marketplace for those folks that are seeking healthier options. And so I think it's just being aware and conscious and creating that right balance, that work, right? Yeah. No, definitely, definitely, definitely.

Well, I think, you know, one thing that really stands out to me, I tried Cook Unity's meals. I've had, you know, a range of different items that Carlos, you know, who I'll put this together, you know, was able to get to us. And, I mean, right off the bat, I remember looking through the menu, I'm like, holy cow. I mean, there are so many options to choose from, right? And one thing that stood out to me was the creativity, right? For me, when I think about like cooking and food, right, it's an art, right? It's a form where you can just kind of like be yourself, test things out, you know, even if you, you know, maybe mess up and you put a little too much here, a little too much

seasoning here, right? Like it's a place to be creative and test, right? And I think, like, Cook Unity's menu does a good job of showcasing that creativity where you have so many different chefs to choose from, right, obviously including yourself. But you have something for everyone, right? Whether you're looking for that comfort food dish or you're looking for that healthy item, it's important to have a little bit of variety because it kind of gets old and boring eating the same thing over and over, at least for me.

Like, I can't eat the same thing all the time every day because then it's like you kind of lose that motivation. Right, right, right. And I think what's unique about Cook Unity is it's not, there isn't a master plan around meals. they're allowing for artists, chef artists, to do their thing, right? They're never really trying to pigeonhole us or put us in a place where, like, this is the first time they said, hey, guys, will you, will you guys focus on some healthy meals? Like, let's, there's a market that wants that, like, and right. So perfect, guys, no problem.

But there's this abundance of just creativity when you have several chefs that kind of come together. So, and that's, that's the beauty of the menu is that you have all this variety. And, and again, not because I'm on the platform, not because I love what we're doing, but there is nothing closer in competition, in my opinion, for the fresh food that you get at Cook, Unity. It really is like, you know, if you look at some of other competitors, a lot of it's like mass produced, it's industrialized, it has, you know, maybe some frozen vegetables, that are thrown in there, et cetera. This is all, what I love about it is it's fresh food, delivered to your door, and it all,

I mean, my meals all taste really good, so I'm not. But it's, it really is, it's a special thing. I think I'm really bullish on the company, and I help they continue to grow in a positive way. Absolutely, absolutely. So before we kind of wrap up here, I definitely want to ask you some fun, rapid fire type questions. You got it. You're from Philly, or you lived in Philly for over 20 years. So Eagles, Phillies, Flyers, is that the lineup for sports teams for you? So I'm one of these unique, unique, let's say, sports fans. So I grew up in Chicago, too. So I have some,

and I split time. I was almost, at a certain point, I lived in Chicago 22 years and Philly 25 years. I've developed great relationships with the organizations in Philadelphia, though, great people. But I would say Eagles, Bears. I would say Cubs, Phillies. I would say Bulls, Sixers, and Blackhawks Flyers, even swap. But yeah, I think, again, going back to sports, It's just, it's a great thing to be associated and really get to know these organizations. And, yeah, what could be better? Absolutely. It's interesting, too, right?

All these stadiums, ballparks, right, they've taken it upon themselves. Like, how do we provide, you know, a more unique food experience in these stadiums, right? It's not just burgers, hot dogs, and chicken tenders anymore, right? I mean, you're seeing sushi in there. You're seeing, you know, arrocompoyo. It is crazy to be, especially depending, you know, what cities, these stadiums are and these ballparks are, right? Or how do you create kind of a hometown feel through the food in these stadiums, which I think is great. I'm all for that.

Right. Well, actually, I have one of my concepts, it's called Buena Onda. It's a fast casual talkeria in Philadelphia. And we're in the Sixers and Flyers Stadium. We're front and center when you come in. I love that. And so, you know, I personally. get offended when I overpay for a hot dog or a cold cheese steak.

Right. So I love that the, you know, the organization said, hey, let's get the hometown chefs in here. Let's create meals that are, you know, stadium worthy and are memorable. And yeah, that's how it should be. I mean, come on. A hundred percent. Next question I got for you is if you had one piece of advice for an aspiring chef, right? They're going through the motion, you know, maybe looking to open their restaurant.

maybe get that first job, what would be that piece of advice to them? I think I've always, and I mentioned it earlier, is find your niche, find out where you're going to be most comfortable, where you could be most effective. And if it's, for me, it was like realizing that Latin cuisine was kind of an open market and something that I'm obviously Latino that I could dig into and do. I think that was a driving point for me. So, and then once you have that, and here's the big one is, I also, I realize at an early age that the industry can be kind of a grind, right? It can be kind of like a, you know,

if you're in it and you're not speaking up and like, you know, trying to move ahead, you'll just be a cog on the wheel. So you have to really aspire to hit the goals that you'd like to do. So if you're, my goal, when I first got in the industry was to open my, open my own restaurant. Number one. And I said, hey, when I get there, I'll be good. And so I got there and it was a great achievement. I hung out for a couple years in that moment.

And then I said, okay, this is great. Now what's the next thing? And so I really think understanding and creating some achievable goals is a big one. Absolutely. And I got to get your top three, Ecuador. in dishes. Oh, easy, peasy, man. Easy, easy, easy.

So my grandma used to make, and they cook them in mantas, these empanadas de verde. So that's a green plantain empanata. That is what's cool about it is there's no flour or butter in the dough. It's just the plantain and the natural gluten that happens when you rice it three times. It gets really like gelatinous in gluteny, perfect for an empanata skin. Really tasty. That's number one.

I think always my fallback is Ecuadorian shrimp savice. Ecuador produces the best shrimp in the world. And my family is our shrimp farmer. So I get good stuff. And then I would say lastly, I really love a biche, a bice de pescado. It's a seafood soup made with plantains and at chote, and it's just very like warm and comforting. Something about that.

And I'm like kind of a soup guy. And it just really, it embodies Ecuadorian cooking from that area, from that region. And it also has just a depth of flavor with great seafood from the Pacific. Yeah. Oh, definitely. I got to try that. I've never tried that.

And I'm assuming, based off of those facts, that then there's not really. a debate, Ecuador does have better Sevilla than Peru. Is that what we're saying here? I can get me in trouble with that one. Yeah. Well, I'm not going to say better or worse.

What I'm going to say is I appreciate certainly both cuisines and their mastery of seafood and Civeche. But I went to Lima and Cusco and went to the fish market in Lima like several years back. I mean, it was phenomenal.

It was really, really special. So there is a mastery. And what I also love their Japanese influence that's in Peru, the Nikai style cuisine, which kind of lends itself, obviously, to fresh fish and raw, Tittadito style, Cebiche. So there's good disciplines on both side. I hope my Ecuadorian friends and family don't get on me about this. Well, I will say this, right?

I mean, I learned that Ecuador is known for Civeja. I didn't know that until we had this conversation. Peru has always been like Peruvian Covea is always kind of what you see out there in the restaurants. And it's kind of what's always been put out there. So I, you know, now educated in the fact that Ecuador is known for Civecia. And now I got to do a little taste test myself. And then I'll get back to you and I'll let you know. Please do.

Please do. Keep me posting. Awesome. Awesome. Well, chef, appreciate the time. much for one sharing your story and your knowledge in the space. I think there's still so much to talk about in this world, especially around like the Latino influence and food. I think there's something to be said about how much opportunity is there, how much passion is behind that.

And we'd love to continue that type of conversation as well. But more than anything, I appreciate you taking the time today, sharing your story and bringing some perspective in the food world. Wow. Well, I appreciate that. It was a pleasure to be here. Yeah, let me know. Happy to come back on. Love the vibe and topics you guys are governor. It's cool. Thank you.

Yeah. Stay tranquil. That's where we are. So if they want to find you, where can they find you? So you can find me at actually, you can go to chef garciss.com and you'll see all my work, all that I'm doing is on there. Cook Unity, my pop-up dinners. I have actually a really cool aspect to my.

site. It's called a cuisine library where you can go on and there's a video and full recipe of everything we've been making the last several years. So, and it's free. No subscription charges. Go on and get cooking. Amazing. And then your book, they can also find there on your website as well? You could find it. You could find my, I have two cookbooks on my website. The restaurants are also listed there. And my philanthropic mission, which is the Garces Foundation, we We help the underserved immigrant community of Philadelphia through two programs, community health care programs, as well as English language classes. We have our big event coming up this week on Thursday where we'll host 600 people.

It's a Latin night market, and it's our fundraiser for a good cause. I love that. That's amazing. I didn't know. Well, appreciate you for letting us know that. And if you're in the Philly area, you know, to get involved, obviously. So appreciate it again, Chef, for your time. Appreciate everything that you're doing for the community.

And we'll talk again soon. You got it. Take care. Thank you. Thank you, guys.