Student Profile - Alfonso "Poncho" Vazquez

Age: 20
Hometown: Apple Valley, CA
Years Industry Experience: 4
Class: AOS Culinary Arts, Section 3

Start at the beginning, tell me how you got into cooking-
I guess I started by accident. I was in a band at the time and our guitar player was in a cooking class. I was in choir and didn’t want to be and he said, “Hey, this class if really fun.” So I switched classes and ended up really clicking with cooking. Through that, I got involved in a cooking competition. That threw me into a whole realm of things that I didn’t know. I spent basically my entire senior year devoted to restaurant class- everything from catering and banquets to pastry and advanced cooking. I actually lead a team of four people from my school to win the first place- I guess you could say medal- for the team cooking competition “Pro Start” that was put on by the NRA. Since we won, we got to go to Florida, for the national competition and we placed seventh overall. And then I graduated, and started working at a Spring Valley Lake Country Club. I did everything from prep to line cooking to buffet. I even did some breads and desserts.

Wow, sounds like, in a fairly short time, you’ve done a lot. After all that, what brought you to the CIA?
A few things. Everyone that I’ve always talked to… well, a friend of mine was going and I just got some info from different people. It’s actually not my first choice… I wanted to stay local and go to Scottsdale Culinary in Arizona. That’s where I was going to go but then that fell through and I heard about this place through that same cooking competition. I was actually the mentor for the class after I graduated- and that year the competition was out here at Greystone. So that was really cool, I got to see all of that and I met Thomas Keller. That’s how I found about this place.

After we graduate, what are your plans for the future?
Well, it’s kind of a long story. But, basically, my parents have run their own business since before I was born. That whole entrepreneur thing has been bred into me. I want to one day have my own place. I have some Spanish heritage so I want to go to Spain to check it out. Even if I don’t get to work there, I want to learn about the food. But basically, after school, I want to build up my resume and eventually have my own place. I’ve always like Spanish and Asian cuisines. Maybe I’ll fuse that together… but maybe that won’t happen. But exactly… I’m not sure. I know I don’t like working for someone else. But so far as making a name for myself, I just want to have a restaurant and it doesn’t matter if I become famous or not. I just want to have my own thing.

It seems like you’ve been really influenced by your heritage-
Well, it’s kind of sad because I don’t know much about that side. I know the Mexican side because that’s what I grew up with- all my aunts and uncles and relatives. I know Mexican food like the back of my hand, but I don’t really know much about Spanish stuff. I have one great aunt from Spain. I’ve never really had the chance to talk to her about food. There’s a little bit of a language barrier there…and with something as personal as food it’s hard to not be able to ask the right questions. But she’s from there she makes extremely good food.

Before we finish, tell me a little bit about cooking. What’s the best thing about food?
The best part about making food is that you can make it your own. It can be something that no one has ever tasted before.

Do you have a favorite food or preferred ingredient?
I like a lot of citrus. I’m a citrus guy. I like combining it and adding it to food. And I like lot of sweets.

How about an ingredient or dish you hate?
I don’t know… I don’t hate anything yet.