Chef Paniagua

As you may or may not know Chef Paniagua is the Executive Chef at the 4 ACES GRILL here in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Aside from the home cooking he does for his friends and family he also makes a name for himself through his immaculate dishes he creates at this outstanding establishment.  F.Y.I. if you are looking for a truly phenomenal dinning experience be sure to stop at the 4 ACES GRILL and visit the Chef.  You can also find a detailed review of the 4 ACES GRILL @ Gil’s Thrilling (And Filling) Blog.  Unfortunately I can’t go with him everyday to work so he sends me pics of his unyielding skill.  Here we got a Panini of the day grilled chicken with cilantro pesto and pepper jack cheese with blue-corn battered onion rings. 4 ACES

Sunday afternoon, burgers and dogs on the grill.  This is just a little post of us enjoying a beautiful day and good food and drink.   I had a cheeseburger with some of the Chef’s special jalapeno garnish and a whole lot of beer.
 

Everybody loves meatloaf, right? Just looking at this picture makes my mouth water.  But this isn’t just any loafed meat, of course the Chef went all out to make the simplest of dishes one of the most exceptional and extraordinary loaves of meat ever created.  When I walked in and saw the bacon embrasing the meatloaf, like a frightened child holding on to his mothers leg I nearly burst into tears!  The potatos were delicate and creamy mashed with smoked gouda they were exploding with flavor.  Perfectly seasoned veggies nice and steaming on my plate all smothered in this gravy that I would have literally drank straight from the pot, and not just because it had red wine in it.  This dish nearly brought me to my knees.

On this day something special was going on in the Chef’s kitchen.  I happend to walk in on him while he was preparing a very unique Hawaiin poke dish.  Now, I’m not much of a sea food/fish type person being that I did grow up in the desert lands of New Mexico and when I think of fish it’s usually wrapped in foil and cooking over a campfire seasoned with beer and whatever kind of meat we pulled out of the woods that day. But little did I know I was in for one of the most palate satisfying tastes that had ever passed my lips.  It’s good to be the Chef’s guinea pig! 

So last weekend the Chef called me up on the phone. It had been a long night of drinking and we were both feeling a little “crudo” (hungover).  He told me to drop by cause he was thinking about making some posole plus there was still some frio’s left from the night before.  As I hung up the phone I layed in my bed starring at the ceiling… thinking… A cold beer for the hair of the dog, a steaming bowl of the Chef’s top-notch posole, I think today is going to be a good day! Oh ya, by the way I smuthered mine with onions, raddish and cilantro.

Having a mantanza is something special where we come from. A matanza is an old New Mexican Tradition where we kill and butcher a pig and then cook all the various meat products. This is usually done for a big celebration or special occasion and in this case it was Chef Paniagua’s younger brothers graduation party. Of course, the Chef did most of the dirty work while we kept a close eye on the ice chest.

 I have been fortunate enough to know Chef Paniagua for more than 20 years and have witnessed the hard work, time and dedication he has put into sharpening his culinary skills. In fact I have never met anyone more devoted to their profession. He loves what he does and it shows. Not only is he skilled and talented at cooking excellent food but with each dish he creates he adds his own little flare, whether it be special ingredients, making his own sauce’s or sheer angelic presentation. Plates definitely worthy of recognition.

A close friend as well as a personal role model Chef Paniagua has demonstrated what it means to be a unique and innovative chef, time and time again. I have developed a great respect for his ability to create the most magnificent of dishes with what ever is on hand and have come to admire his hunger to keep growing and learning more. Being from New Mexico we grow up with a sense of pride and love for our food. Whether it be taking the time to grow our chili in our own gardens or digging a fire pit and cooking a pig for a good 14 hours or so. Tradition has always been a key ingredient in all of our dishes. What I like about Chef Paniagua is his capacity to blend tradition with innovation and his fearless ability to except no limits on what he can do when it comes to his cooking. His talent and skill has given him the opportunity to gain world wide experience as a chef on one of the worlds largest cruise lines and has earned him the title as one of New Mexico’s top chefs in Albuquerque The Magazine for winning Chef Knock Out 2010. Not bad for a boy who started off as a dishwasher 15 years ago.

The originality of Chef Paniagua’s cuisine attests to the tremendous variety of dishes he has experienced in his travels around the world with a dash of home town dazzle to make it his own. He shows an appreciation not only for the constant process of search and discovery of the right combination of ingredients, but the constant search and discovery of his own imagination. I feel confident that by giving Chef Paniagua the opportunity to cook for you he will show you that taste, smell and look of food are only part of the eating experience and that by putting some heart or as we like to call it “Corazon” into everything he creates is what makes his dishes truly special.