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At age 36, Chef Jose Garces has fast become one of the country’s most distinguished chefs, a reputation that he solidified with the tremendous success of his first restaurant Amada, an authentic Andalusian tapas bar, which opened to rave reviews in Fall 2005. He further reinforced this standing with his second venture Tinto, a wine bar inspired by Basque country, the coastal and mountainous region shared by Spain and France, which was one of the city’s most highly anticipated restaurants when it opened in February 2007. In March 2008, Garces, who was recently chosen as a challenger on the Food Network’s hit show Iron Chef America, launched Mercat a la Planxa, a Barcelona-style tapas restaurant in his hometown of Chicago. Mercat, a collaboration with Denver-based Sage Restaurant Group, is Garces’ first restaurant outside of Philadelphia. In July 2008, Garces opened, Distrito, which celebrates the inspired cuisine of Mexico City, this restaurant opening will be followed by the release of his first cookbook, Latin Evolution (Lake Isle Press, September 2008).
Called the “Latin Emeril” by one food critic for his wide smile and educational approach to food, Garces, who the prestigious James Beard Foundation nominated for its “Best Chef Mid-Atlantic” award in 2007 and 2008, has long been an ambassador of contemporary Latin cuisine, appearing regularly in the New York Times, Travel & Leisure, Esquire, Cooking Light, Restaurant Hospitality, Conde Nast Traveler, National Geographic Traveler, Philadelphia Magazine, Travel Channel’s Epicurious TV, Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, Wall Street Journal and Philadelphia Inquirer.
Garces, an American chef born to Ecuadorian parents and raised in Chicago, began his culinary training in the kitchen of his paternal grandmother. Now, just two decades later, he commands two of Philadelphia’s most popular and critically acclaimed restaurants. His resume includes stints at several high profile restaurants and an apprenticeship with Nuevo Latino pioneer Douglas Rodriguez, who introduced Garces to Philadelphia, where he assumed the role of executive chef at two popular restaurants, which he ran simultaneously.
In developing his personal cooking style, something he says is an ongoing pursuit, Garces spent years perfecting different cuisines in top rated professional kitchens. After graduating from Kendall College’s Culinary School (where his final project was a traditional-modern tapas restaurant much like Amada), Garces apprenticed at La Taberna del Alabardero, in Marbella, Spain. Upon his return to the United States, he went to work for Waldy Malouf in Manhattan’s legendary Rainbow Room. While there, the restaurant received a three-star review from the New York Times’ Ruth Reichl, the highest accolade the restaurant ever achieved. Following his term at the Rainbow Room, Garces went to another New York destination restaurant, 5757 in the Four Seasons Hotel, where he turned out eclectic and elegant American fare under Susan Weaver, another three-star review winner. “By that time, I was a little confused about cuisine,” he remembers. “I wanted something that was long-term – something to make me happy.” And like many chefs, he went back to his roots.
“I decided to focus on my first love – Latin cuisine,” Garces says. This decision led to his long and satisfying relationship with Rodriguez, the flamboyant, award-winning chef. The chefs worked together at Rodriguez’s New York restaurants Pipa and Chicama; when Rodriguez decided to open a Cuban restaurant in Philadelphia, Garces was at the top of a short list of chefs he wanted to run it.
Two years later, Garces was chosen to oversee the kitchen at modern Mexican restaurant El Vez, an experience that he feels crystallized his professional identity. “Warm-blooded food with a festive feel,” is how Garces describes the cuisine he created there. “My progressive approach to cooking is rooted in traditional ingredients and methods,” he says. “It’s a style that brings into play everything I have learned from three-star chefs as well as from the Latin American cooks I have worked with in other restaurants.”
At Tinto and Amada, Garces pushes the limits of the dining experience with a bold and creative approach to traditional Spanish cuisine. Since opening, both restaurants have been two of the city’s most highly sought-after reservations. Locally, Philadelphia Magazine and Philadelphia Style honored Amada with their “Best New Restaurant” awards. Philadelphia Inquirer critic Craig LaBan awarded the restaurant a prestigious “Three Bell” review in which he stated, “Garces elevates authentic dishes with superb ingredients and a modern touch.” In a follow-up, LaBan included Amada on his list of “Four Bell” contenders. Gourmet magazine described Amada as “a Spanish tapas bar gone drop dead gorgeous.” For Tinto, Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Rick Nichols wrote, “At Tinto, chef Jose Garces presents the bold bounty of northern Spain’s sea and mountainside,” while Bon Appetit gushed, “The restaurant may be small, but it still has room for the city's best Spanish wine list.”
Premios, Reconocimientos, y Sociedades
Iron Chef America
"Best New Restaurant" - Philadelphia Magazine and Philadelphia Style
Prestigious "Three Bell" review - Craig LaBan, Philadelphia Inquirer
Otros Servicios
My first cookbook, published in 2008:
Latin Evolution (Lake Isle Press, September 2008)
http://www.amazon.com/Latin-Evolution-Jose-Garces/dp/189110537X
Chef Estados Unidos
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05 de Abril de 2012Wow awesome to see your profile here! I have been a fan of your style of cooking and attitude since seeing you on the Next Iron Chef competition...look forward to checking out your recipes! It would be nothing short of an honor if some day you could tell me what you think of my Sancocho recipe that I have posted on my page...
22 de Febrero de 2011Love your food! Love your restaurants! I follow you on Food Network. My sister also works for you. :)
25 de Enero de 2011Iron Chef Garces - I was extremely happy to see you take it all in that competition! I am delighted to find you here and am most anxious to try your recipes - exactly as you present them. You are an inspiration! best regards - Amos Miller
22 de Abril de 2010Congratulations on being the featured member! Your recipes look wonderful! Cheers~
18 de Septiembre de 2008These recipes look fantastic, Jose! I will be trying them soon!
