Great Taste Magazine

-Chef Brian Black started his new gig yesterday. Congratulations on the new Exec Chef position at Stonehill Tavern. Where did Chef Keogh go, anyone know? 03/02/2010

-We recently caught up with Chef Jason Pena this week. In Aug he left the Atrium Hotel, joined the Kyoto Grand Hotel in Los Angeles and is now moving on to the Hilton Glendale. 02/08/2010

-Chris Reischel took over the kitchen reigns at the Atrium. 02/06/2010

-Joe Youkhan is now at Savannah Chophouse, Laguna Niguel. 01/25/2010

-Chef Michael Rossi’s in Beverly Hills at Neiman Marcus and Chef Ryan Carson took over Ambrosia 01/15/2010 Read more »

By Robert Johnson
January/February 2010

Sometimes professionals can get too caught up in image and title. In doing so, they may lose focus on their craft and the end product may suffer as a result. One professional who can not only teach lessons on focus and passion, but can also take you to school on what it takes to become a great cook is James Chavez.

James is the Executive Chef at Agio Ristorante at the DoubleTree Hotel in Anaheim, and he is dedicated to being dedicated. Chef Chavez grew up in La Puente, CA with very little. Read more »

By Robert Johnson
November/December 2009

As with any artistic form, good food should evoke emotion. A carefully crafted, simple stew can elicit fond memories and transport a diner back to a comfortable, happy time. The setting in which a meal is enjoyed can also help conjure warm recollections. A Restaurant in Newport Beach offers the best in both atmosphere and food preparation. Seemingly enveloped in wood, the restaurant is dimly lit with dark red leather booths. While dining, one might expect Ol’ Blue Eyes himself to saunter in, Rat Pack in tow, order a round of whiskies and martinis, and sip them slowly while Chef Vartan Abgaryan sautés them plates full of nostalgia. Chef Abgaryan recognizes that food portrays emotion and, upon entering A Restaurant for his shift, will leave anything that is bothering him at the door. He believes that his food will suffer if his head and heart are burdened. Read more »

By Robert Johnson
September/October 2009

Ask Chef Don Schoenburg a question and you will get an answer. Just make sure to be prepared to hear the plain, unadulterated truth because he makes no efforts to avoid what needs to be said. To do so would be a waste of his time. Chef Schoenburg immerses himself completely in what he is doing at the moment and this go-getter attitude nearly steered him down a different career path at a younger age. He has really come into his own as a chef, and luckily for restaurant patrons, his food reflects his passion for what he does. Ver la versión española del artículo. Read more »

By: Robert Johnson
July/ August 2009
We all hear that hard work, dedication and perseverance will pay off in the end. We are told that if you keep working, despite the consequences, that one day you will get a shot to prove yourself and to “make it.” Do we really take full advantage of the opportunities given to us? Do we really believe that it will actually happen?  I tell you we must believe it because, essentially, that is the American Dream. Someone who has put this theory into practice with a great deal of success is Aurelio Sanchez, Executive Chef.  Ver la versión española del artículo. Read more »

By Taylor Roll

May/June 2009

Spaghettini’s Executive Chef Victor Avila has worked his way up from his humble beginnings in the dish pit over the course of 19 years. The single father of four spends his time in the kitchen creating and preparing dishes while supervising a crew of 14.  Ver la versión española del artículo. Read more »

By Taylor Roll & Melissa Banks

Spring 2009

A recent fire at McKenna’s on the Bay has expanded Chef Art’s ability to create innovative menus while re-developing the restaurant’s back-of-house operations. The Long Beach establishment was forced to evacuate in March due to an exhaust systems fire leaving employees out of work for over a month. Chef Art Gonzalez has utilized this time to reflect on his career and the future of McKenna’s amidst the necessary reconstruction planning underway; Art has had to become a key contributor in negotiating with contractors and insurance professionals. Ver la versión española del artículo. Read more »

by Lauren Monahan Jan/Feb 2009 Issue

Chef Noe is one of those, rare, extremely talented Chef’s that is both an artist and a sales person.  His food creations are always a work of art and he is thrilled to come out and speak with any customer at any time. Capistrano’s and Embassy Suites are very fortunate to have such an experienced professional.

by Lachelle Brown Nov/Dec 2008 Issue

Entering the well-known Anaheim destination restaurant, Mr. Stox, Great Taste Magazine was engulfed with the feeling of fall in the air as layers of pumpkins and corn decorated the lobby area. Trickling down in to the main dinning room, the mood was set as laughter and conversation were heard in every direction. Guests enjoyed their lunch entrees, sipping on afternoon chardonnays and ice teas, not minding our inquisitive eyes admiring the scene. After receiving a personal tour around the restaurant and its lovely wine cellar, we had the pleasure in sitting down, face to face, with Chef Scott Raczek himself. Read more »

By Natalie Manning September/October 2008

Chef Ryan Adams is certainly not one’s typical interview, “I am not nine-to-five, I don’t dress corporate, I don’t act corporate and I speak my mind. I don’t really like people and I judge them. I judge them on their attitudes though, not on their looks,” he pauses, “I mean look at me, I get judged all the time,” gesturing to his left arm elaborately decorated with tattoos from his shoulder along down to his wrist. Perking up, he shows off his latest tattoo of a Weber Barbeque on his upper left chest; Read more »

by Lauren Monahan July/Aug 2008 Issue

Yvon Goetz is a normal guy - a father, a runner, a friend, a soccer fanatic. Oh yeah, and did I mention he’s an internationally renowned chef?

Chef Goetz has cooked for thousands of people in numerous fine-dining establishments across the world. His culinary expertise has helped many of his restaurant homes earn prestigious accolades, from Michelin Stars to AAA/CAA Diamond Awards, and he was even named OC Business Journal’s Chef of the Year. He is unquestionably a sought-after culinary master, highly regarded in all aspects of restaurant culture; something you could never tell if you met him on the street - unless he talked to you about food.

I first met with the French-born Chef at his new home, The Winery Restaurant in the newly minted District at Tustin Legacy. He greeted me in the entry, where I stood staring wide-eyed at the wine lockers of restaurant’s loyal patrons. We made our way through the spacious dining room to the outdoor patio, where Goetz had been waiting and watching the Champions League Semifinal between his beloved Chelsea and rival Liverpool. We sat in a booth on the beautiful terrace, and over a glass of wine began to discuss his love affair with all things food. Read more »

by Lachelle Brown Mar/Apr 2008 Issue
Executive Chef Jack Daniel Robertson comes in a package that all can admire. His all-around Orange County laid back personality combined with an innovative and ever-evolving talent makes Jack Daniel naturally garners attention beyond his given name. Great Taste Magazine sat down to talk with Chef Jack - we enjoyed the relaxing afternoon and calm marina view Restaurant Tantalum has to offer. Since there was no evidence, we knew nothing of the Valentine’s Day fury that had occurred in this very restaurant the day and night before. Despite his lack of rest, Chef Jack was upbeat as ever, as if he were exactly where he should be.

Q. So tell us, what’s the story of how you came to be where you are today?

“Growing up, I always thought I was going to become a professional baseball player or surfer. Cooking allowed me to work at night, and gave me time to be active during the day doing the things I loved.” At age 17, Chef Jack worked at restaurant Paolis under Chef Jason Beissonette, who grew to become a mentor and father figure and helped to shape Jack’s future - “He taught me a lot at a young age.”At the time, Chef Jack was attending business school and then his plans changed: “Before I knew it, I fell in love with cooking. When I attended Culinary School, everything was fun to me. I wanted to go, I wanted to read the books the instructors gave out…it was just pure enjoyment for me. I went to Culinary School at Orange Coast College which was great, because they teach you everything, and it’s a lot cheaper than some of the other options [laughing]. I was able to get a great education - without the debt.” Read more »

by Katie Israel Jan/Feb 2008 Issue

Some might consider Chef Darren Denny to be the typical OC surfer dude — he has a laid back attitude, a go-with-the-flow personality and a love for long boarding — but when it comes to working in the kitchen he’s all business. He’s tenacious, a little wild and knows what he wants and isn’t afraid to tell it how it is.

Here’s what he told Great Taste!

As a young boy, Chef Darren traveled from his home in Lynwood to spend his summers in Pennsylvania, working with his grandmother and aunt at their family owned restaurant in the small town of Altoona. He remembers poking around the kitchen and being shooed away by his family who didn’t want the little one getting hurt. “Once they realized they weren’t going to get rid of me, they starting giving me jobs to do,”he says. “I always knew I was going to be a chef and people would just laugh in my face and say, ‘Oh yea,” Darren says in a sarcastic tone. By the age of 19, after working as a dishwasher and cook’s helper,Chef Darren had already proved his skeptics wrong. He landed a job as Executive Chef at the Indian Palms Country Club in Indio where he ran all the kitchen operations with a staff of 24. After that eye-opening experience, he worked in a number of kitchens including a Sous Chef position with Cedar Creek Inn in 1984.More than 20 years later, after spending 13 years with El Niguel Country Club in Laguna Niguel, he found himself back at Cedar Creek in 2005.Now, he serves as Corporate Chef and oversees all four Cedar Creek locations, leading a combined kitchen staff of 140 at locations in Brea, Laguna Niguel, San Juan Capistrano and Laguna Beach. How does he manage all this? Read more »

by Katie Israel Winter 2007 Issue

Lupe Camarena is all too familiar with cooking and caring for others. The Mexico native, who comes from a family of 16 brothers and sisters, was only 15 years old when he joined the crew at Ha’ Penny in Westminster.

Charlene Prager, Han’s wife reminisces, I worked with Hans and Lupe at The Ritz and at The Bell and Crown, where we met Lupe. What Hans said about Lupe on a regular basis was ‘What an incredible hard worker he was — hours meant nothing to him!’ and ‘that Lupe was a sponge: anything Hans taught him, he retained.’ Hans taught him everything!”

He began in the back of the house as a dishwasher and, shortly after starting, was moved to the pantry. In 1976, the legendary restaurateur Hans Prager bought the Ha’ Penny Inn, transformed it into the Bell & Crown and became Lupe’s guiding force taking over as mentor, following Lupe’s father’s lead, a chef at a Mexican restaurant whom he says, “pushed me toward the business.”

Camarena evolved through the pantry and the front line, giving him the opportunity to observe and learn from Hans every step of the way. When Hans conceptualized his next project, the little Ritz Restaurant (where 21 Oceanfront now stands) there was never a question, Lupe would definitely make the move — Camarena was honored to be a part of it. Read more »

by Katie Israel August 2007 Issue

“I was in a bar with a friend and we both were ready to travel. This guy behind the bar had a globe. He says ‘How serious are you?’ I said ‘very serious.’ The guy said ‘okay, I’m going to spin this globe and wherever it stops you start.’” The globe rolled to a halt on Copenhagen, Denmark. So, that’s where Chef Theo Ioannou, now Executive Chef at Waterfalls Restaurant at the Atrium Hotel in Irvine, started his 13-month culinary travel expedition.
To date, Ioannou has visited more than 30 countries and worked in various restaurants in 11 different countries of the world including: France, Japan, Denmark, England, Sweden, Germany, Belgium, Greece, Hong Kong, Cyprus and the Philippines. “Each country is very unique…it was amazing to see different cultures and eat things that we (in the U.S.) take for granted,” he says. Born in Cyprus, an island in the Mediterranean, Ioannou gained extensive culinary knowledge traveling and also, memories that will likely last a lifetime.

Chef Theo has a lot of stories to share - living with a tribe in South Africa, cooking on the Queen Elizabeth II and the distinct honor of preparing dinner for Prince Edward at two private events. He even tells a story about eating dinner at a friend’s house in the Philippines who’s English pronunciation wasn’t strong. Theo was served a plate and thought that the description was duck. After eating, Theo asks “duck as in quack quack?” No, its dog he was told as in woof, woof. “So, I ended up eating Lassie,” Theo joked as we all cringed. Read more »

by Katie Israel August 2007 Issue

“Over the years I’ve basically created my own style. It’s how you see things and how you do things…you create this definition of what you like to cook, what’s talented and what people are enjoying.”

Chef Evan Lite, 35, who will serve as Executive Chef at friends the Sports Tavern when it opens in Trabuco Canyon, started cooking at a young age and now has 13 years “back of the house” experience.

Evan was born and raised in Northridge, Calif. When his parents divorced, he moved in with his dad and took over some of the cooking responsibilities. Evan liked working with food and his father encouraged him to, “just try things,” and also taught him invaluable culinary techniques like how to work with meats, butcher a chicken and cut steaks.

Sadly, Evan’s father passed away from cancer when Evan was in his early twenties and that’s when Evan decided he wanted to become a Chef. Evan told GT he had come to realize that “the most important thing is to be able to wake up each morning and enjoy what you are going to be doing.” Read more »

by LJ Carlson March 2007 Issue

If you move quickly, you just might be able to catch Nick Phelps in Seal Beach at 320 Main before he moves on to Commonwealth in Fullerton - to reign over the kitchen in the second restaurant he has been involved in establishing since moving to southern California a year and a half ago.

This Boston area native, though just shy of his 34th birthday, is already making his mark on the local culinary scene. Nick’s childhood buddy Rob Marshall, (they’ve known each other since they were seven years old) convinced him to leave his New England home to embark on the daunting task of opening a successful restaurant in the ever-competitive Los Angeles/Orange County market. The timing was perfect, as the large steakhouse he was employed by was getting ready to close for renovations and his parents had just moved to Georgia - so he packed his bags and moved to sunny California.

Though not “formally” trained in the traditional sense, Nick studied under several chefs in the Boston area developing his culinary talent. He has an Associates degree in Sociology from North Adams State in Vermont and attended two trimesters at the famed Johnson & Wales culinary school, but it was “the wrong time” in his life for that type of regimented learning and he feels that learning “on the job” is the best way to really learn the business. Nick says he is always learning and feels that no chef anywhere can say he/she knows everything. Read more »