What were your favorite foods growing up?
Tomatoes. My father always had home grown tomatoes. We had two trees, and the tomatoes were always fresh and delicious.

When did you decide you wanted to be a chef?
Since I can remember I've always had an interest in the kitchen, whether it was helping my mother cook or just experimenting with different things as a high school kid.

If you didn't become a chef, what would you be?
If I weren't in the kitchen, I would be an electrician. I actually have experience working in that field.

Who/what has shaped your cooking the most over the years?
First of all my parents had a big influence on me with their traditional manner of cooking. It was my heritage. Secondly, I had the honor of working with, in my eyes, the best Spanish chef that came to NYC Clemente Boscos, who was the executive chef and owner of El Cid.

How would you describe your cuisine?
Simple, modern, and authentic

What are your favorite culinary weapons in the kitchen?
My three weapons in the kitchen are fresh ingredients, a great team behind me, and a passion for what I'm cooking.

What is your favorite secret ingredient?
If I tell you my secret then it wouldn't be a secret anymore. Let's just say I love garlic!

If I'm trying to watch my weight and I'm eating at your restaurant, what am I ordering to eat?
I would recommend anything on the menu. I use fresh ingredients and I don't like frying things or using much butter. We use a lot of Spanish extra virgin olive oil.

What was your worst restaurant disaster?
The worst restaurant disaster I've ever had was a blackout a few years ago. It was horrible, the freezers and refrigerators both went down.

What is your least favorite food?
Indian food isn't high on my list. I think it is too spicy and there are too many flavors mixed together.

What is your beverage of choice?
I love wine. I drink wine everyday whether it's a good Ribera del Duero or a nice chilled Albariño.

When you are not eating at your own restaurant, where are you eating?
Sanchos in Brooklyn, which is one of the more old school Spanish restaurants. Or I'm at El Parador in midtown, which is one of the oldest Mexican places in the city where I started when I came to the United States. And Manetas in Queens, a brick-oven Italian restaurant.

What was the most spectacular meal you have ever had?
Veal liver cooked by Clemente. I had mentioned to him that I hated it and I've never liked it before, so one day he just cooked it for me as a surprise and didn't tell me what it was. I literally licked the plate clean; it was the best!

What is your best cooking tip for a home enthusiast?
Always use fresh ingredients.

What do you eat when you are home?
Anything that my wife makes at home. I am very easy going and I'm not that picky even though I'm a chef.