www.chefdouglasrodriguez.com
Chef Douglas Rodriguez, globally acclaimed Godfather
of Nuevo Latino Cuisine, has been taking the nation by storm, opening
award winning restaurant across the United States. His culinary creativity
has changed the image of Latino food in America. His restaurants are
featured in some of the most cosmopolitan cities including his home
town Miami, Philadelphia, Arizona, and the most recent, DeLa Costa in
Chicago. DeLa Costa has recently received 3 stars by Chicago Tribune.
Chef Rodriguez, 41, a son of Cuban immigrants, was raised in Miami.
He grew up with the sights, smells and tastes of Cuban/American cuisine
and developed a passion for food early on. By the age of 13, he had
a collection of cookbooks, pots and pans, and was developing and preparing
original concepts. At 14, he landed his first restaurant job as a summer
apprentice at The Four Ambassadors Hotel in Miami. After high school,
he gained more experience at the prestigious Fontainebleau Hilton Hotel
in Miami Beach before honing his skills and techniques at Johnson and
Wales University in Providence, RI.
Returning to Miami, Mr. Rodriguez worked at the Sonesta Beach Hotel
and Wet Paint Cafe. In 1989 he opened Yuca, an upscale Cuban style restaurant
in Coral Gables. Yuca was a success, and at age 24, Douglas was a celebrated
Miami chef, winning the "Chef of the Year, Miami" award from The Chefs
of America and receiving his first and second "Rising Chef of the Year"
nominations by The James Beard Foundation. While Yuca served distinctly
Cuban cuisine, Douglas constantly studied new flavors, ingredients and
ideas from his staff, which hails from United Nations of Latin American
countries. Soon after that Douglas headed straight for New York City.
Mr. Rodriguez became the executive chef and co-owner of the phenomenally
successful Patria, which opened in 1994 in New York City. It was the
laboratory for his new cuisine, which he called "Nuevo Latino." Patria
received a three star review in the New York Times and accolades from
The New Yorker and Gourmet among others. After Patria, Mr. Rodriguez
opened Chicama, a Peruvian Ceviche bar, to 2 stars in the New York Times
followed by Pipa, a Tapas bar that became one of the favorite spots
for New Yorkers.
Recently, Newsweek selected Douglas Rodriguez as one of the 100 Americans
that will influence the coming millennium. People magazine featured
him in an article titled "Douglas Rodriguez - Superchef Makes Latin
Food Haute Haute Haute." In 1994, the Fine Beverage and Food Federation
elected Mr. Rodriguez as the Culinary Master of North America and the
New York Culinary Master. He received the prestigious 1996 James Beard
Foundation's Rising Star Chef of the Year Award.
Mr. Rodriguez is the author of Nuevo Latino (published in October 1995),Latin
Ladles (published in November of 1997), Latin Flavors on the Grill(published
in 2000) and has been signed by a major publisher to complete a four
book series. In March 2003 he released his fourth book, The Great Ceviche
Book. Mr. Rodriguez has been featured in myriad national publications
including Food and Wine, The Metropolitan Home, Esquire, and Bon Appetit,
and has made numerous television appearances including Late Night with
David Letterman, Good Morning America, The Today Show, and CBS Weekend
This Morning. Mr. Rodriguez is a member of the Chef Conclave for American
Airlines. In May 1998, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate degree from
Johnson and Wales University.
Restaurants to open in Las Vegas, Miami Gulf Stream Village and New
York City.
