Austin CC’s Executive Sous Chef Eva Barrios, CEC, discovered that she can experience global cuisine by tapping into the wealth of international talent on her own team.
It seems that every chef dreams to travel the world and experience all the amazing foods every country has to offer.
I’m no different. As a chef, I tend to daydream about travel. One day I hope to have enough time to experience the true essence of every cuisine and learn their stories through traveling. I want to learn their techniques and discover the history behind each dish.
With every place you travel to, whether in the United States or abroad, you can find a little something that will blow your mind. The excitement comes with taking these dishes back home and beginning to implement what you have learned or discovered into your own kitchen.
Cooking is truly an art and there is no wrong way to do things. We all cook the way we know and love and that’s the beauty of the culinary world.
As we travel and discover other cultures, we begin to create new and unique ways of cooking as we become inspired by those who are different than us. While I may not have the time or resources to travel as frequently as I would like, I realized that I didn’t have to go very far to learn, taste, and master different foods from various countries right here.
I can experience all of that through the culinary staff I work with every day here at Austin Country Club. I have worked with people from all over the world including Mexico, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Honduras, Ecuador, India, and France. Being from Venezuela, I also bring something new and different to the table.
It is very intriguing and exciting to see these culinarians be so proud of their culture and their food. The way they talk about their heritage makes me smile, makes me want to know more, and encourages me to share their knowledge. Their passion is one of the main reasons our kitchen loves to create special menus for our members that feature our culinarian’s knowledge. It provides our members the chance to enjoy authentic food from places around the world right here at their home club.
For chefs, a diverse staff gives you the opportunity to create true flavors and utilize new techniques which can be implemented in the kitchen to replicate and inspire new dishes. Give your staff the opportunity to tell you about their heritage and the stories behind every dish they make. This is the true direction of a progressive kitchen. You have an incredible resource through your staff to make amazing and authentic dishes, inspire creativity, and allow your members and guests to experience something unique and different with every visit.
