Local Colorado Springs chef competing nationally in Denver Saturday
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- A chef based in Colorado Springs is competing in Denver Saturday against some of the best of the trade from across the country.
Milagros Cocina Mexicana Executive Chef Roberto Reyes was selected as one of six people nationwide for the competition hosted by the Hispanic Restaurant Association.
Roberto says he is less focused on winning the competition. What means more to him is learning from the other chefs competing, as well as the world-renowned chefs judging the competition. Such as Fernando Stovell and Pablo Aya. He wants to bring back what he learns to his restaurant to be reflected on his new menu.
At his restaurant, Roberto strives for an authentic meets contemporary style, but he's doing it his way.
Roberto says it hasn't been easy in Mexican culture to break away from culinary tradition and go more modern. For example, he'll take spice from Japanese cuisine and pair it with a traditional Mexican dish.
"It's taking people out of their comfort zone," Reyes said. "That's what I want to do with every dish I put out is make people think, well I've had a taco my whole life, what's the difference between your taco and the tacos I've always had. Why's it different when I go there, what spices is he using that are different. What oil is different. I use six to seven different kinds of vinegar in the restaurant. It's little things like that."
Roberto is from Chicago. He was drawn to Colorado Springs in part because it can be seen as an up-and-coming "foodie" city. he also says a lot of the time when people think of a big city such as San Francisco, New York, or Chicago, a specific food scene comes to mind. He says he wants to be a part of putting Colorado Springs on the map, too.
"I feel like it would be amazing to be a part of that pioneering of putting Colorado Springs or Colorado in general in the development of that food scene here and being able to say well yeah Chicago has great food but I went to Colorado and had one of the best meals there too," Reyes said.
Roberto says Colorado Springs has really embraced him and the food he serves.
