Ignacio [Celebrity Chef]

By: Editor | March 02, 2011 | Ten by Ten

From the small coastal town of Cabarete, Dominican Republic, Ignacio first discovered his passion for cooking while helping his aunt prepare dinner every night from a family cookbook that has been passed down and expanded upon for generations.  He left home for the USA at the age of eighteen and funded his culinary education with part-time jobs, quickly developing a unique and sought after skill set in the kitchen.  After graduating he was hired as personal chef for the Consul General of Venezuela in Washington DC.  This led to jobs with world leaders such as Hugo Chavez, Bob Dole, and Boris Yeltsin. He then moved to Southern California and became a popular live in celebrity chef, with much credit going to his worldly background and fried plantain sandwich.

When was the last time you were truly embarrassed and why?
I was in an intense cook-off with a former culinary school classmate/rival, when I tripped over a frozen halibut and spilled a perfectly mixed dessert broth all over myself in front of my peers.  Luckily I had a backup shirt with me, and handily won the cook-off anyways. 

What is the best advice you’ve ever received, and who gave it to you?
“Everybody Wang Chung Tonight” - Wang Chung.

What is the most important decision you ever made?
To not go into the family business of shoe making (I come from a long line of cobblers) and instead pursue my passion for cooking. 

What is your favorite …
Restaurant: Cervantes, Albuquerque New Mexico. Order the huevos rancheros con carne adovada, Christmas style with a side of sopapillas.
Chevy Chase movie: Fletch
Animal (extinct, endangered or domestic):  Grolar Bear (apparantely polar bears and grizzly bears are cross breeding, creating some sort of super bear.  Look it up on the internet.)
Song to make out to: “Back that Azz Up” by Juvenile
Vacation destination? Either Spain or Kalamazoo, Michigan

What’s the strangest number you have programmed in your phone?
Exterminator from Kalamazoo, Michigan.  Its a long story. 

List three things you cannot live without?
Google Maps, hot sauce, and The Mambo Kings. 

What contemporary artist do you admire and why?
Santana for his guitar playing skills. 

How will you spend this evening?
My night includes a barbeque, chess match, sangria at Abuelita’s bar, and a greco roman wrestling match, not necessarily in that order.

What is your take on the WikiLeaks controversy?
If I have learned anything from the Will Smith movie Enemy of the State, matters of national security should be left to the government.

How would you define love?
Love is holding someone’s hairback after too much wine at a bullfight in Madrid and then carrying them over your shoulder to the American embassy to protect against an attack from angry Spanish bookies.  Needless to say, I am attracted to women with intense gambling habits. 

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