Chef Oscar Padilla
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International Chef Oscar Padilla was born in Los Angeles, California, but when he moved to Mexico - the land of his grandparents - he discovered his roots, which together with his passion for food would ultimately mark the rest of his life. Earlier this year he won the Food Network program “Chopped,” but fame did not erase his essence: food, fire and Latin American flavors. In this interview with el Restaurante writer Maximiliano D'Onofrio, he describes his career and passion for Latin cuisine.
How did you learn to cook?
I learned to cook from my grandmother. All that love for food, for cooking comes from her. She has been my greatest inspiration and she taught me the basics of Mexican and Latin American cuisine.
But there is a little story with my grandfather. He was a huge fan of food. His life revolved around good food. They had no money, but he invested what little or much he had in food. Part of his family were direct descendants of Spaniards, so he always had Serrano ham, good cheeses, he made paella, Galician-style chamorros. So that constant combination of Mexican and European was incredible.
In my family they are all athletes, but I went away from that and I leaned towards studying gastronomy. I realized that I loved food, cheeses. I was different from my schoolmates. I wanted to find out more.
How were your years living in Mexico?
Well, it started after my parents separated and I moved in with my grandmother. Despite that it was exploration or discovery. I love my parents, but the foundations that my grandparents laid in me were what marked my life. They generally cooked for 60, 70 people, they set up a gigantic table, a huge banquet, but maybe there were ten of us. But in the end my grandparents put everything that was left over in small containers and divided it up. They distributed food, but also love.
What was your first restaurant experience?
I started by career in Mexico, and I traveled around the country, getting to know flavors, textures and people. I worked at the Club de Banqueros de México, which gave me the opportunity to learn directly with international chefs and, after a few years there, made me want to return to the United States. I returned directly to New York and worked with Richard Sandoval Hospitality, one of the strongest international Mexican businesses. There I worked with South American chefs: Argentines, Colombians, Venezuelans, Peruvians. For me it was wow! Latin American cuisine is amazing and what I want to do for the rest of my life.
After opening restaurants in various parts of the world and with a 20-year career, learning about Latin American flavors and fire cooking, my wife and I opened something of our own. We started with Gaucho, cuisine inspired by the Argentinian fire grill, but with Latin American infusions. For me it is very comforting because my team is multicultural and I come from the Pop Art culture, which has a lot to do with street food combining it with haute cuisine.
How did you get into the TV show “Chopped”?
I consider myself a fire kitchen chef. I guess they saw some of my stuff cooking on fire in the mountains of Colorado and they must have liked my profile. They called me three times; the first two times I couldn't participate due to work issues , but the third time everything happened. I passed all the filters and when everything was ready, COVID broke through and it was cancelled. For this last season they had a special pig episode and they told me, “Your profile is right for this.”
What did enjoy about the competition?
It was fun that I came back to New York. I felt like a fish in water, with the city and the culture. At the same time, I love the show, everything that has to do with cameras. Also, I am very competitive. I'm not a bad competitor, but I love being able to participate and being able to show what I know how to do and what I can give, while always reflecting this love that comes with Latin American culture.
What's next in your career?
Gaucho is the first concept from the main company called ESWFuego – short for “Everything Starts with Fire.” We have done events and catering, Argentine barbecues, Mexican barbecues, South American barbecues, American barbecues. Colorado people love to make fires and cook, and we do that, but at the same time I'm working with partners to open up more concepts like Guacho.
Three more concepts are coming in the next year and a half, but my biggest goal is to be able to represent Latin American cuisine from the perspective of a Californian and share what I have discovered, see and taste.
Not only the cuisine of Latin America is important; we are all one big family and there is more than just burritos or nachos. I believe in the importance of sharing with people everything that is behind the ingredients and traditions that each one of us has.
Maximiliano D'Onofrio is a freelance writer located in Olavarra, Argentina.