Hispanic foods are found in almost every community. But there’s a new trend among culinary artists, and it involves bringing flavors from those foods to more traditional American dishes, like mac and cheese.
As we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, we want to take you into the kitchen of a restaurant whose fusion dishes are a perfect example of what’s happening across the country.
It’s the kitchen of Oscar Padilla, executive chef at 53-58 Toro Latin Kitchen & Lounge in Denver, Colorado.
The Los Angeles native uses his Mexican heritage as a major influence for his cuisine. He said he first learned to make traditional Mexican food from his grandmother.
“One of my goals is to transmit these feelings and this love of Latin American food to American culture,” Padilla said. “We have wonderful ingredients that come from this culture like chipota, tortillas, corn, lots of spices, but here in the United States, we have a lot of local ingredients that can be explored. And we offer this amazing combination.”
One of the menu items he’s serving is pork belly mac and cheese.
“Coming from the Rocky Mountains, but you combine it with something like chimichurri from Argentina. Boom! You have this beautiful combination of cultures and it’s something amazing to share. You discover a new world,” he explained.
Padilla says his goal is to provide customers with more than just food.
“They feel that they’re not just coming for a meal. They’re coming to be part of this beautiful family, and I think that’s one of the big influences that Latin American food is bringing to this industry,” the chef said. For this new collaboration, with what is American culture”.
The chef says it’s not just about sharing food, it’s also about sharing love.
