Chef’s Thoughts with Marvin Herrera, Executive Chef of Augusta CC

Augusta CC’s Marvin Herrera was the only American to bring home a gold medal in the Culinary Art Individual category at the Villeroy & Boch Culinary World Cup.

Marvin Herrera, CEC, has been cooking for nearly all of his adult life. When he was 16, he moved to Washington, D.C. from El Salvador to take a position as a utility worker in a hotel kitchen, and later became a cook at the same hotel.

Decades later, Herrera serves as Executive Chef of Augusta (Ga.) Country Club, where he is at the top of his game. In fact, at the Villeroy & Boch Culinary World Cup in November 2018, Herrera brought home a gold medal in the Culinary Art Individual category, and a silver medal overall. He was the only American to bring home a gold medal.

1. If I could change one thing about my club, it would be that our members would understand the importance of reservations and a wait list.
2. You’ll never see tilapia on the menu at my club, because most tilapia is imported from Asia and South America, and it does not have a good reputation for meeting standards.
3. The most ridiculous member or guest requests I’ve ever had were for a grilled cheese sandwich, untoasted, and a medium steak with no pink.
4. I want to learn more about cheese, because I would love to make our own specialty cheeses!
5. When I’m not in the kitchen, I’m working on my garden, or at a soccer game.
6. My biggest mistake when I first started as a chef was thinking that I knew everything, and that I was never wrong.
7. The most valuable piece of advice I’ve ever received was learn from other people’s mistakes.
8. If I were stranded on a deserted island, I’d want these five foods with me: chorizo, queso fresco, tortillas, plantains, and mangos.
9. My favorite ingredient is Microgreens are the most overrated ingredient. Mustard seeds are the most undervalued ingredient. I can’t live without sea salt and fresh lemon.
10. I cook black-bean soup with short ribs, poached egg, and hot peppers at home, but I’d never cook it at the club.
11. My favorite celebrity chef is Patrick O’Connell, because of his respect for food, his creativity, and his love for the craft.
12. One of my most memorable meals was at The Inn of Little Washington.
13. You’d be surprised to learn that I am a private person.
14. If I could trade places with one chef, it would be Daniel Boulud.
15. My go-to drinks are a fresh margarita, Stella Artois and coconut water.
16. If I could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, it would be my mother.
17. If I wasn’t a chef, I’d love to be a pilot.
18. The most important thing in my kitchen is respect for the food, craft and team.
19. My favorite junk food is crispy and spicy chicken wings.
20. My favorite kitchen hack is vinegar and sugar, to enhance flavor.
21. I am motivated and inspired by positive results and a professional team.
22. I’d like to see more club chefs compete in culinary competitions. 
23. I knew I wanted to be a chef the very first time I was able to see the transformation of a block of ice into a piece of art.
24. My last meal would be a pupusas, fried plantain, and stuffed chayote squash.
25. My worst culinary creation was a chicken with a citrus sauce I tried to recreate in my teens.
26. I love being a club chef because of culinary diversity. I can create a wine dinner menu using exotic ingredients and different cooking techniques, and am also able to create casual menus for different outlets. Being at a club gives me the opportunity to teach and compete at an international level, plus the support is great.
27. The rules of conduct in my kitchen are be respectful and professional.
28. I don’t like to brag, but I have won many first-place culinary competitions, I am a Culinary Olympic medalist, and I won a gold medal at the Culinary World Cup, placing second in the world.
29. My most embarrassing moment in the kitchen was when I was doing a TV Show, and I was demonstrating how to make a salad dressing. The lid to the food processor got stuck and I was having a hard time taking it off. It was live.
30. My favorite book is The French Laundry cookbook.
31. My dream vacation would be Paris or Thailand.
32. My favorite movie/TV show is “Rocky.”