How did you get your start in the industry?

Around 1992-93, I was working during the day as a dishwasher at the Four Seasons Hotel in Georgetown and at night as dishwasher at The Latham Hotel two block away.  The Latham Hotel went through a major renovation and the hotel’s restaurant became Citronelle with Michele Richard.  Before the renovation, the dishwashers wore chef coats as a uniform and when Michele Richard’s crew arrived, they thought I was a cook and put me to work as a prep person.  When the restaurant got busy I used to help the grill cook and just pull meats from the cold boxes, put salt and pepper on them before they went on the grill. 

It was an open-kitchen so all the customers can see the line cooks.  One night the restaurant was very busy so I had to stop peeling potatoes and go to the line and help the grill cook and that night Executive Chef Douglas McNeil of the Four Seasons was dining with one of his Sous Chefs, Robert Wiedmaier, and they were seated right at the front and they saw their dishwasher cooking at Citronelle.  So next day when I got to Four Seasons the Executive Chef was waiting for me.  He asked me why I never told him that I was a professional cook and I tried to explain to him what my duties really were at Citronelle, but he immediately transferred me from the kitchen to the line with all the cooks.  Then I spent the next ten years cooking at all the restaurants at the Four Seasons as well doing catering.  For about 4 years I worked back and forth between the Four Seasons and Citronelle.

How long have you been in your current position?

I have been Executive Chef at the U.S Capitol & Corporate Executive Board for about four years. 

What is your favorite aspect of your current job?

I really enjoy cooking but creating menus is most enjoyable for me.  One thing I really like is seeing how the team comes together to prepare a wonderful meal for up to 1000 customers, where everybody gets involved in it.

What is your least favorite part of your current position?

I would be lying to you if I told you there wasn’t one thing that I don’t like, so what really bothers me is a disorganized and dirty kitchen.

Do you have a particular style of food that you cook?  Where do you get your inspiration for new dishes?

Simple and tasty food - that is the key.  I like to cook everything but fresh fish is on top of my list.  I cook with so many different ingredients in order to prepare one meal, so I wouldn’t say I have a particular style.  I get inspiration from seeing the actual ingredients such as fresh meats, seafood and vegetables.

What are some of the biggest trends you’ve noticed effecting the industry in the last few years?

There are a lot of different equipment and methods of cooking that can be very costly, especially to small restaurants which is making it tough to open a restaurant.

What are some of the biggest changes you’ve seen in your time in the industry?

Now when you go to the supermarket you can find almost everything ready to reheat in the frozen section of the store.  The public doesn’t have time now to sit down and eat a proper meal.  Everybody is in a big hurry and wants something quick and easy.

Who is the person you admire most?

It has nothing to do with the industry but I admire the late Pope John Paul II and as a Chef Daniel Boulud.

What do you consider your greatest accomplishment (either in or out of the kitchen)?

In the kitchen, my biggest accomplishment is becoming an Executive Chef.  It never crossed my mind that I would become a chef one day when I started in the industry.  Seeing how the chefs were at that time, I never thought I would be one of them, but my wife Alma Saravia always believed in me.  Outside of the kitchen, my biggest accomplishments are my two wonderful daughters Guadalupe and Emely.

What are your goals for the future?

I would love to open a good restaurant, but it is hard with the way the economy is right now.  Also, I would love to write a book about all the good cooks in the industry that no one hears about because collecting histories is how many of the chefs have gotten where they are now.