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From Burger King to Top Chef: How A Self-Taught Chef Worked His Way Up Through Michelin Star Restaurants

From new technologies and changing food trends to supply chains and innovative concepts, the restaurant industry is everchanging. Host Andre Natera shares kitchens, plates and stories with food and beverage superstars, preparing a new dish and offering valuable insights from the front lines of the culinary industry.   On this episode of Run The Pass, Host Andre…

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From new technologies and changing food trends to supply chains and innovative concepts, the restaurant industry is everchanging. Host Andre Natera shares kitchens, plates and stories with food and beverage superstars, preparing a new dish and offering valuable insights from the front lines of the culinary industry.

On this episode of Run The Pass, Host Andre Natera talked with Byron Gomez about his career, Top Chef, his love of travel, and a super-secret project.

Lately, he has been taking some time off, traveling, and networking, but mostly trying to get out after staying inside for a year during the COVID-19 Pandemic. He talked about some of the food in the nine cities he’s traveled to in the last month and a half. He’s currently working in Aspen at the 7908, which operates on a seasonal schedule, so they are off roughly a month between summer and winter and then between spring and summer.

“I worked for Daniel Boulud for five years, I would say Cafe Boulud was my culinary school” – Byron Gomez

While traveling, he enjoyed his time at the Garrison, one of Chef Natera’s restaurants in Austin, Texas. Next, he traveled to New Orleans and had some excellent Turtle Soup at Commander’s Palace.

His love for food, though, started long before the spotlights of Top Chef. He landed his first job when he was 15 years old. A family friend approached his family and asked if he wanted to work. It was a very famous restaurant known for its flame-grilled burgers: Burger King.

Gomez was destined for greater things. Before heading to Colorado, Gomez spent the last 13 years working at some of the top restaurants in New York. A self-taught chef, he worked his way up through some Michelin star restaurants, such as Café Boulud, the classical French One Star Michelin restaurant. After moving on, he worked at a two-star Michelin restaurant, Atera, which featured a Nordic cuisine tasting menu.

Listen to hear more about Gomez’s career, his time on Top Chef, and a secret project he’s working on.

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