Her California roots have helped shape and mold her culinary career. “Growing up working on an organic farm part-time and then selling those Harvests at the farmers market really planted the seed for my career that was to come. California is the Mecca of Mexican in the U.S., and my love for the regional cuisine has grown immensely over the years,” she said.
On her plans for 2019, she said, “I am working on building a chefs table dinner series at Dos Caminos. We have done three already and they are a really fun way to showcase some new dishes and give our guests a unique off menu experience. We are on our summer menu change with some really exciting new items.”
“I just finished writing a children’s book with my mom, and I’m looking forward to a lot more philanthropic collaborations that winning the show has afforded me the opportunity to become a part of,” she said.
On winning Hell’s Kitchen and to being crowned champion, she said, “That felt like payback for myself. I was very disappointed when I left in third place and ever since then I felt like I needed to prove myself that I should have done more to win it all. In short, it felt amazing.”
Regarding her daily motivations as a chef, she said, “I love sharing a story through food with my guests and I love doing it alongside an amazing team of dedicated culinary professionals. My team motivate me to push the boundaries of what is expected at Dos. They are hungry to do more and they are always excited to work on the new dishes I’m coming up with.”
Particularly impressive about Dos Caminos is that she has three different kinds of guacamole. “We have classic guacamole that is just perfect. Mainly because of how we scrutinize every ingredient. So simple but so good. We have smoked bacon guacamole with a Smokey chipotle barbecue (bbq) flavor,” she explained.
“I really love the contrast of the warm bacon and tomato salsita against the guacamole. And lastly, we have a chapulines guacamole for the brave who dare to welcome grasshoppers onto their plate. We lightly sauté the grasshoppers with red onions and Padilla Oaxaca salsa,” she said.
Digital transformation of the food service industry
On the impact of technology on the food service industry, she said, “Social media is the obvious significant change. Customer feedback is everything and now with micro influencers defining the world, it’s critical to maintain standards and stay ahead of the curve.”
Regarding her use of technology in her daily routine as a chef, she said, “We have numerous programs that we use to help measure our goals and stay on top of our numbers. With so many great tools out there today, it’s so much easier to get your team to all understand where the restaurant stands financially, guest feedback, opportunities for improvement, and so much more.”
For her fans and followers, she concluded about Cinco de Mayo, “Come join us all weekend at any one of our Dos Caminos locations. It’s always a blast at Dos For Cinco.”
To learn more about Dos Caminos, check out their official website.
