I worked in a high-end restaurant kitchen some years ago. Chef Jeff, bristly yet brilliant, was its king. He once critiqued a sous chef’s hummus so unfavorably that she quit in tears right on the spot. But my heavens, could that man cook.
One day, Chef Jeff learned that one of his cooks had committed the unspeakable offense of attending cooking school. “Ha,” he sneered over a half-constructed salmon crêpe. “You wasted your time. Working in a kitchen’s the only way to learn this business."
Chef Jeff motioned at me, the dishwasher.
“In Mexico, I worked at a bank. I had studied administration in school,” said Chef Carlos Urzua. “I came to America hoping to continue my banking career. But American banks? It turns out they weren’t hiring.
“But that’s OK. I’ve found something I like much better than banking, anyway.
“I started out at the bottom. A dishwasher. But the bottom is also where you have the most to learn. Right away I noticed how fast everyone moves. Boom, boom, boom – busy, busy, busy – all the time. That was my first big lesson: try and keep up.
“I got a second kitchen job not long after starting out. It was in 2004. I was still close to the bottom, but at least it was two bottoms: the first restaurant, where I’ve stayed working to this day, and Redstone American Grill.
“I was especially lucky to continue my education at Redstone. I never cooked before I started working in a kitchen. But here, because I showed discipline and eagerness to do things exactly the way the chef likes it, they gave me more and more opportunities to grow. That’s how I moved up from line cook all the way to executive chef.
“I started out prepping ingredients, which I still enjoy doing, because that way it’s like you get to do a little something for every guest who walks through the door. I found my favorite part of the kitchen, the grill, soon after. When you cook the perfect steak – the one the guest imagined when they said ‘well,’ ‘medium,’ or ‘blue?’ It’s a good feeling.
“One time, a guest came back into the kitchen just to compliment my steak. That was the best feeling. It’s the feeling I’m still chasing every time I cook.
“And I get to feel it a lot, because Redstone has high standards. Everything that goes on in the front of the house? The hosts, the servers, the bartenders, and the bussers? They all have the highest standards for service, which is good, because it sets the right mood to appreciate my kitchen’s high standards.
“Redstone has spent 27 years developing a world-class menu, and they did it right here in Minnesota. Our tender, juicy rotisserie chicken, which we season for 24 hours and then slow roast over coals for two hours more. Our ribs, which we cook s-l-o-w and then heat up on the grill, slathered in our own house barbecue sauce. Our scrambled egg, andouille sausage and potato brunch burritos that we serve with fresh salsa every Sunday. Those, and every other Redstone recipe? They are perfect. I truly believe in them.
“My only job is to make all those recipes the right way – every single time – every single day.
“That’s why we only allow the freshest, most flavorful ingredients inside the kitchen. That’s why we make everything from scratch, right down to our salad dressings. That’s why I manage a kitchen staff of 23; all just as disciplined and eager as I am. That’s why we treat the Minnesota Food Code like the gospel. And if I see something that’s not right? A temperature a couple of degrees off, or even the smallest little thing out of place in the presentation? I say to the one responsible, ‘Hey! Would you serve food to your mother like that?’ Everyone in the kitchen must really love their mothers, because they always tell me they wouldn’t.
“But that doesn’t happen often.
“You know, I’m sure my mom wouldn’t have minded if I became a hot-shot successful banker. But now, when I go back home to visit her, I get to do something I wish I’d done for her back while she was still raising me. I cook for her. I cook her a little of the Mexican flavor she knows very well; a little of the American flavor that I picked up up north. They go good together!”
Visit Redstone American Grill at 8000 Town Center Place, Eden Prairie to see how Chef Carlos cooks for his mom. Order online and discover catering, private dining, and private events at RedstoneGrill.com.