On Thursday, April 1, the popular cooking contest The best chef back for his season 18. Shot entirely in Portland and the surrounding area, the latest version does an impressive job of producing top-notch televisions while maintaining the strict safety regulations required by the pandemic. Since its inception in 2006, the show has grown into one of the great titans of culinary programming, with each additional season strengthening its iconic status and helping transform some of the country’s most talented chefs into full-blown superstars.
During the spring, Byron Gómez, Executive Chef of the super refined Aspen Club Supper 7908 – will appear in the name of Colorado, combining influences from his Costa Rican heritage and an extraordinary pedigree from some of New York’s most acclaimed cuisines. He will appear alongside Maria Mazon from Tuscon, Gabe Erales from Austin, Nelson German from Oakland and Shota Nakajima from Seattle, among others.
Joining the regular panel of Padma Lakshmi, Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons is the nominee for season 15 and local girlfriend Carrie Baird, who will act as a guest judge on eight of the upcoming episodes. While the rotating list has been celebrity-rich in the past, the The best chef The team chose to favor the program’s graduates, who would stay during filming at the team’s quarantined hotel in the heart of downtown. “Having the elders as judges, there is a little more empathy there,” Baird smiles.
Gomez was born in Costa Rica and moved to Central Islip, Long Island at the age of eight. He recalls being drawn to the kitchen from the beginning, citing Sunday meals in which 20-30 family members showed up to fondle home-cooked meals. As a child of DACA, he has not been able to return to his homeland, or undertake international travel of any kind, since emigrating to the United States. He says that one of the main motivations for participating in The best chef is an opportunity to tell his story, pointing out that he will be the first Costa Rica to participate. Despite the lack of formal training, the chef’s CV is more than good.
“I went to the best school in the world. School hits hard, ”laughs Gomez. “I started in one of the most famous restaurants in the world. Burger King, ”he continued.
Right after high school, he moved to New York City with $ 800 in his pocket. Hungry from the start, he set out to work in world-class establishments. He rose through the Michelin ranks. Starting with Cafe Boulud, a star, then he did a stint at the two-star Atera before becoming a substitute at Eleven Madison Park., who saw his third star during his tenure. “I knew that by working with the best, you could probably become the best,” said the chef. After visiting Aspen as part of one of Eleven Madison Park’s Winter House pop-ups, she fell in love with snowboarding and the markedly different pace of mountain life. The opportunity to work with a phenomenal team, including master sommelier Jonathan Pullis, helped influence his decision to move to 7908.
Gomez’s presence on the show bodes well for ambitious local chefs and a strong indication of the state’s growing culinary cosmopolitanism. The director said he hoped to use his appearance to expand into other media, noting that a book could one day be part of his growing repertoire.
“Today, chefs have the opportunity to expand outside of chain kitchens,” he said. The kitchen matters. But now, perhaps more than ever, is the time to celebrate the stories that fuel the flames.
7908 is located at 415 East Hyman Ave., Aspen. It is expected to close on April 17 for the off-season. It will reopen in June, seven days a week from 6 pm – closure to be adjusted in accordance with current national regulations.
New episodes of Top Chef Season 18 airs every Thursday at 6pm MST on Good tv.
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