A Santa Clarita chef is headed to the quarter-finals in the national “Favorite Chef” cooking competition.
Local chef Leo Gomez was laid off from his job last year due to COVID-19. As a result, Gomez gave his full attention to a three-year business plan to open “Miami Cafe,” a Cuban eatery.
Miami Cafe hopes to bring South Beach to the Southland with savory Cuban sandwiches, papa rellenas, flaky Cuban pastries and more, officials said. Finding funding for restaurants is already difficult and the additional difficulties due to COVID-19 made it near-impossible for Gomez to find the funding needed to start his business, even with support from the Cuban-American community.
He saw an opportunity to enter Favorite Chef, a national voting competition for amateur chefs. The winner is expected to receive $50,000 towards their business, according to the Favorite Chef website.
“It’s been a humbling experience to know that total strangers online are truly rooting for you. Especially the Cuban community in Los Angeles and across the country. They want to have a piece of home here in L.A.,” Gomez said.
If selected as the winner of Favorite Chef, Gomez plans to put the money towards equipment including sandwich presses, convection ovens, a fryer and refrigerators. He plans to stretch out every penny to reserve funding towards operational costs as well as unexpected pivots due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a statement from Gomez on the Favorite Chef website.
Voting began in February 2021. After several rounds of voting and community support, Gomez made it to the quarter-finals. He is blown away by the support on social media.
Gomez was born in Los Angeles and raised in Miami. He says while L.A. is home, he misses the culture, food and spirit of Miami.
“I learned to cook the same way many have learned — in the kitchen with our families. For me, it was being in the trenches with my grandmothers as they prepared authentic Cuban food for family parties and holiday events,” Gomez said. “I always wanted to be around them and learn as much as I could about my culture and cuisine.”
He says winning the competition will help bring Miami Cafe faster to Santa Clarita residents and Angelinos craving a piece of “The 305.”
The public can vote for free at this site. According to Favorite Chef’s website, the winner is expected to be announced April 8, 2021.
Ed. Note: Rachel Matta contributed to this article.
Do you have a news tip? Call us at (661) 298-1220, or send an email to newstip@hometownstation.com. Don’t miss a thing. Get breaking KHTS Santa Clarita News Alerts delivered right to your inbox. Report a typo or error, email Corrections@hometownstation.com
KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
No comments:
Post a Comment