A childhood spent exploring the culinary melting pot of Southern California and spending summers on his great-grandfather’s cattle ranch, followed by years running a fresh seafood restaurant make Chef Eddie perfectly suited to lead The Cache team.
“I grew up cooking alongside my mom who was in R&D at Taco Bell. One of my earliest memories is cooking eggs with her after butting into the kitchen because I was nosy,” Eddie said. “My mom was from Michoacán, so we had a lot of rustic Mexican food, and my best friend was Vietnamese, and we were always looking for different food experiences.”
“I spent summers in Mexico and there’s a ton of food culture going on there. My great-grandfather had a ranch, and he would host huge parties where I learned how to break down a side of beef and cook enough food for the whole weekend. It was pretty cool.”
His first job in Colorado was at McCarty’s at Eaton Country Club. “That’s where my passion really grew.” At Bonefish Grill, Eddie started at the bottom and quickly moved up to managing all culinary and running both front and back of the house with the GM.
“Since I’m from the coast, I’ve always loved seafood, so it was an easy move to work there. Fresh fish was a big part of the concept at the time, and it’s what I know and love,” Eddie said. “I feel like I grew up there, moving from being a cook to managing and running the place and it solidified what I want to do with my life. Even after all the 12-14 days the past 10 years, I can’t complain, I just love working with food.”
“It all made me more respectful of food and where it comes from,” he added. “That’s why I love the concept here at Ginger and Baker of having everything being as local as it can be.”
“Right now, I’m bringing in more fresh fish and want to make the most of all the Wagyu and Angus,” he said. “Friday night is where we’re doing a few different things, using a variety of cuts and seeing what gets the best response. I have David Peña-Chavez as my sous chef, and he’s always on board with implementing elevated Hispanic food and making it shine. I’d like to give it a stage and broaden the new American food concept.”
When not working, Eddie likes to spend time with his girlfriend and her family and hike with his German Shepherd/Husky, Caterpillar. “And I’m ready to try anything from any part of the world, so I’m going to Italy soon and I’m super excited to have food there.”
His favorite pie? “Pumpkin pie, because I can put a ton of whipped cream on it, it’s so well balanced, I think of pumpkin with subtle nutty flavors and some sweetness.”
