Throughout the weeks leading up to the 2015 Houston Culinary Awards, we’ve been getting to know the impressive HCA chef and bartender team.
We asked each chef to answer a few questions about themselves, and so far we’ve shared the answers of Leslie Ross, Monica Richards, Rocco Nankervis, Travis Lenig and Brandi Key.
This week we spotlight our first-course chef Peter Garcia (El Meson) who will prepare bomba rice (the kind of rice used in paella) with duck and foie gras. For a look at the complete Houston Culinary Awards dinner menu, click here.
WHO IS/WAS YOUR MENTOR IN THE RESTAURANT BUSINESS?
My father, Pedro A. Garcia Sr.
FAVORITE INGREDIENT YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT:
Olive oil. I couldn’t live in a world without olive oil.
YOUR FAVORITE HOUSTON HOLE-IN-THE-WALL:
Romano’s Pizza on West Gray
WHICH LOCAL RESTAURANTS AND/OR BARS HAVE YOU NOT YET VISITED, BUT ARE ON YOUR LIST?
Helen Greek Food and Wine
THE BEST THING ABOUT MY JOB IS…
Making people happy. It is the most profound source of happiness in life.
IF I WEREN’T A _________ I WOULD BE _________.
If I weren’t a restaurateur I would have been an airplane mechanic. But I would have preferred to have been a journalist.