Chef Gabe Erales was born and raised in the culturally rich border town of El Paso, TX. Heavily influenced by his family''s Mexican culture, Gabe formed an early appreciation for the food his parents prepared which ignited his passion for cooking. Gabe began working in kitchens at the age of 15 before moving to Austin, TX, to attend college at the University of Texas where he graduated with both a bachelor''s and master''s degree in Mechanical Engineering. During this time, Gabe realized his true calling remained in the kitchen and concurrently completed culinary school at Le Cordon Bleu Austin. As the soul of his cooking lies in Mexican cuisine, he spent time working for some of Austin''s most notable Chefs such as the late Miguel Ravago at The Fonda San Miguel, Rene Ortiz at La Condesa and Jesse Griffiths of Dai Due. He also draws inspiration from his experience in the kitchen at Noma in both Copenhagen and Mexico. Gabe''s cooking philosophy strives to focus on locality through strength in relationships with local farmers including sourcing unique varieties of landrace corn, chiles and other ingredients from different regions of Mexico. Most recently, he served as Executive Chef of Comedor Restaurant, a Mexican restaurant in the heart of downtown Austin, TX, that was voted Best New Restaurant by Esquire Magazine (2019), Austin Monthly (2019), and Texas Monthly (2020).
Married with four children, he is currently working on a new restaurant concept that he hopes to announce soon. He is currently a contestant on Season 18 of Bravo''s Top Chef airing on April 1. To learn more about Chef Erales and his accolades, visit gabeerales.com Luis Robles is a chef based in Los Angeles. Born and raised in East Los Angeles to Mexican immigrants, he began by washing dishes in 1998. Robles works with chefs across the country and abroad, and has held chef positions at The Disneyland Hotel, Patina Restaurant Group, Bon Appétit, and Wolfgang Puck Catering. Cooking for special events are creative opportunities, such as the Food & Wine Festival, the 2010 Winter Olympics and the annual Governor''s Ball at the Academy Awards. In 2016, he was a presenter at the MAD Symposium.
As an Associate Professor of Culinary Arts at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College, Robles teaches whole animal butchery and oversees a restaurant open to the public. He is inspired by the resilience of his students at the inner-city community college. Teaching future generations of cooks the skills for culinary success is his passion. A native of Southern California, Jose Luis Hinostroza grew up in a Mexican household in the heart of one of the richest agricultural regions in America and the birthplace of the farm-to-table movement. He first ventured from home to work at Alinea in Chicago where he became kitchen manager at 21 and was exposed to the high-intensity world of fine dining. He moved to Spain to work under Jordi Roca at El Celler de Can Roca and by age 24 he was named Chef de Cuisine at the 2 Michelin-star restaurant De Kromme Watergang in The Netherlands. Until recently, he was at Rene Redzepi''s culinary mecca, Noma in Copenhagen and formed part of the research and development team of Noma Mexico. His product-driven menú at ARCA brings together the bold and explosive flavors of Mexico, executing a casual fine-dining experience with the technique and knowledge of a chef who has spent the past 10 years working in some of the best fine-dining kitchens in the world.
Vanessa Ceceña is a San Diego based writer who covers stories related to life on the border. Her writing is influenced by her bicultural identity and travels, giving her work a transnational flair. She is particularly interested in the intersections between food, policy and community impact. Vanessa received her master''s degree in social work from USC and an undergraduate degree in international development studies.