kitchen and in life. That was a very transformational time for me. When it was time for me to come back home, closer to my family, I worked for chef Martin Rios for a year and I saw a lot of modern cuisine and technique in his kitchen, which inspired my move over to Arroyo Vino. My current work has really been influenced by some of my travels, particularly to the Bay Area and to Copenhagen. Both places, in their own way, really celebrate locality, sustainability, vegetable-focused cuisine, and thinking outside of the box when it comes to lifestyle and food. My connection with Lauren early on in my time at Arroyo Vino and the development of our own on-site garden/farm at the restaurant has also played a big part in our food. Mostly, it has taught me to try to let go of the controls now and again. You can’t command a vegetable to ripen or grow faster; they are on their own pace. I let them tell me when it’s time to be on the menu. Everything we do is always a work in progress. It’s been both incredibly gratifying and very hard work to get to where we are today with our cuisine, service, and overall Arroyo Vino experience. I could not have accomplished any of it without the amazing team members we have, both past and present. If you could have lunch with anyone, who would it be, where would you eat, and what would you ask them? If I had the chance, I would have lunch with Rene Redzepi at l'Arpège in France. I'd like to ask him how he finds the balance between pushing yourself and not burning out. He is one of my cooking inspirations for more than just the food he creates. His ideals and aesthetics go beyond the plates, and he teaches, grows, and expands his team’s abilities and opportunities while still seeing his own visions to fruition, all while somehow still maintaining a seemingly healthy home life. These are things I struggle with as a young chef and I’d like to know his secrets. What gets you fired up? Anyone who works with me would probably say I can be an intense person from time to time. I consider myself to be very passionate, although sometimes it gets the best of me. I get fired up in a good way all the time at work, when we nail a new idea, or something that's been aging or fermenting for a while comes out great. I also love the intensity of a busy night in the kitchen when everyone is on point and the guests are happy. I have a hard time when people prepare things improperly just because they are too proud or afraid to ask for help. I don't know everything and I don't expect my crew to either, but you have to be able to ask for help when you need it, regardless of experience level. I have little patience for excuses and corner cutting when it comes to food. Honest mistakes are fine as long as you own up to them and fix them to the best of your ability. As one of the wisest beings in the universe once said, "There is no try, only do."
ROMERO FARMS
Romero Farms would like to thank all the wonderful people who have made us successful—our customers, friends, family, and most of all our employees. Many thanks and blessings from Matt and Emily Romero!
Is there anything else you'd like to share with edible readers? Thank you for nominating me for the Local Hero award! I look forward to meeting you in the Arroyo Vino dining room or at the Rooted Leaf farm stand soon! www.arroyovino.com WWW.EDIBLENM.COM
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