Chef Roberto Alcocer
Haz clic aquí para leer esto en español
Editor’s Note: Chef Roberto Alcocer has been creating Baja-inspired cuisine for more than a quarter century. He helms two restaurants, Malva in Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico; and Valle in Oceanside, California. Valle earned a Michelin star in 2023, two years after opening. Alcocer believes that chefs can learn from each other, and he facilitates that learning by regularly inviting chefs to cook alongside him in his kitchen. In turn, he accepts invitations to be a guest chef at other restaurants. In this interview with el Restaurante Publisher Ed Avis, he explains his philosophy behind the guest chef concept.
Ed Avis: Let me begin with a general question: Why do you feel a guest chef program is valuable?
Roberto Alcocer: For me, doing this is a way to offer to our guests an experience out of the box, bringing a chef that in order to try his food otherwise, you would have to go to his restaurant, right? And of course, for the restaurant, it’s good because you bring back a guest that might not be coming until the next season to try the next menu.
The other thing for me is that I always invite chefs that I admire, so that I can establish a relationship with them. And my cooks can learn something. I remember when I brought a chef from the southeast of Mexico where the recipes, the methods, the techniques, the ingredients are so different from the rest of Mexico. So, bringing this chef to cook this menu, it was so eye opening, especially for the cooks from the United States.
Sometimes these collaborations help my staff connect with a chef they wouldn’t otherwise know. I have cooks that now work for some of them because they met there. It helps my staff, it helps the chefs and it makes the world a better place because at the end, the sun comes out for everybody.
From a logistics perspective, how does a guest chef program work?
The logistics work in different ways, depending on my connection with the chef. Normally, when I invite a chef, I ask them for their dishes, so then I can adapt my dishes and we can create a menu that is in harmony. I do that because I want them to shine; I allow them to take the first step and send the dishes [they plan to prepare]. Then I can make the rest of the menu.
If there’s more than one guest chef involved, then it’s fewer dishes [for] each [chef]. For example, for my anniversary [dinner that celebrates the restaurant’s opening], when I invite two chefs, instead of three dishes each, we each do two dishes. And when I make a dinner in December, [which we call] 12 Chefs Before Christmas, that is six chefs one night and six chefs the second night. Then it’s just one dish for every chef.
Chefs Miguel Bahena of Madre and Omar Valenzuela of Avia (both in Ensenada) prepare dishes for the Tres Amigos Collaboration Dinner at Valle.
Nowadays, because prep takes a longer time, some chefs fly with their sauces or their long-prep-time ingredients already. Then we source the rest of the ingredients.
For example, I’m going to Cancun next week [to be a guest chef], and I cannot travel with food because I’m flying from the U.S. So, I sent a list of ingredients and a list of preps with recipes and even videos of how I do them, so they can help me to prep in advance. And we are in constant communication with the kitchen if they have any questions or whatever. So, when we arrive, most of our prep is ready.
When I bring a chef, of course I have them for dinner in the restaurant with my regular menu, because I also want to show them what I’m doing. But I also invite them for dinner or lunch, or to have a drink, somewhere else. I have other nice restaurants close to me that I can take them to. And while we’re prepping, I bring some food also from outside so they can taste a little bit of what’s happening around the restaurant.
Is there a financial component? Do you pay them?
We pay for everything, including expenses, but I don’t pay a fee because normally I bring in chefs that I know personally. But we treat them well. Like if we fly somebody in, we fly them on business. We know it’s like a little vacation for them. And it’s reciprocal. If they invite me, I will go, anytime.
Which do you enjoy most, being the host chef in your own kitchen, or being a visiting chef in someone else’s kitchen?
I enjoy both. I enjoy when I’m a host and the chef that I am inviting is a responsible chef and sends everything on time. I don’t enjoy it sometimes when I invite somebody and he is not spending time on the recipes or ingredients because it’s kind of like having to be babysitting. I know chefs are really busy, but come on, if you accept an invitation, be formal. So, I try to be as formal as I would like the chefs to be when I receive an invitation. I am always on time with everything.
Besides that, what else makes a guest chef experience successful?
What I have learned is that you’re bringing a chef to cook outside of his world, so you need to be able to adapt yours to his as much as possible. For example, don’t bring a chef that has a small restaurant [and ask him] to cook for 100 people, you know? Because when they are used to running restaurants for 30 covers or 50 covers, and then you make this large event, it’s not going be the kind of experience that you would like to offer.
There is a lot of this conversation with the guest chef so that I know how or what those chefs want to put out there. I have done banquet size service because the chef feels comfortable plating everybody at the same time, and in other cases we have done a stagger service because the plating will take time. It’s kind of like adjusting the service to every chef to make them shine. I want them to present [an experience that’s] as close as possible to what they will be doing at their own restaurant, so if my guests go and visit them in their restaurant, they have the same experience.
When you invite a chef, do they always say yes?
No, it depends on the situation and how much I know the chef. Sometimes I invite chefs that I would love to cook with, but there’s no relationship, and they can even ghost me. I don’t think it’s personal. Sometimes others are like, “You know what? I would love to, but I can’t in these moments of my life.” And sometimes [there are other reasons]. For example, one chef told me that he doesn’t know how these things work. He was asking, “Maybe we should get to know each other and maybe we should talk,” like [going on] dates before. It was making the situation so complicated. I was like, “It's just a dinner, but OK.” I get it. I understand sometimes people are afraid to cook outside of the kitchen.
Have some of the chefs you’ve cooked with become good friends?
Yeah, most of them. You know, I’m bringing them to my house. Something we have in Mexico is that we’re good with hospitality. When they arrive, I pick them up at the airport and take them to the hotel, and we have an amenity there for them. My staff researches what they like. I remember when we got Chef Val Cantu, he came with the kids. We had the beach right in front of the hotel, so we put some toys for the beach for the kids [in the room] and for him some different types of craft beer. It’s treating them like I would like to be treated, you know?
And of course [when they get to the restaurant], I welcome them and have a jacket with their name on it and a special gift. So, I make them happy because at the end, they’re taking the time to come and cook here. That’s something I appreciate.
Click here to go to the next article, Corn, Soul, and Fire: Mexican Whiskey is Trending