About Chef Rogelio Garcia
Rogelio Garcia is a Michelin-starred chef who grew up in Mexico City and immigrated to the United States, beginning his career in professional kitchens as a dishwasher. He worked his way up through some of the most demanding fine dining kitchens in California, building a reputation for his approach to modern Mexican cuisine that honors regional tradition through precision technique. He is the author of the cookbook Convivir, which documents his culinary philosophy and his commitment to celebrating Mexican food culture at a serious level. He is also known for his practice of mixed martial arts, which informs his approach to discipline and physical and mental wellness as a working chef.
Episode Overview
André Natera sits down with Rogelio Garcia for a wide-ranging conversation about what it takes to earn a Michelin star while staying connected to the cultural identity that defines your cooking. Garcia talks about the path from dishwasher to Michelin-starred chef, the barriers he faced as a Mexican immigrant in American fine dining, and why he felt it was important to write Convivir as a statement about the legitimacy and depth of Mexican culinary tradition.
They cover the Michelin Guide’s expansion into Texas and what it means for the broader recognition of regional American cuisine, why Garcia turned to MMA as a practice for managing the mental and physical demands of a high-pressure culinary career, and what he thinks the industry still gets wrong about Mexican food. It is a candid conversation about identity, craft, and what it costs to build something honest in a category that has historically been undervalued.
Topics covered in this episode:
- The path from dishwasher to Michelin-starred chef through California fine dining kitchens
- Overcoming language and cultural barriers as a Mexican immigrant in American fine dining
- Writing the cookbook Convivir and the mission to document Mexican culinary heritage at a serious level
- Honoring regional Mexican cuisine through fine dining technique without losing authenticity
- The Michelin Guide expanding into Texas and what recognition means for chefs and the industry
- MMA and martial arts as tools for mental and physical wellness in a high-pressure culinary career
- What the culinary industry still gets wrong about Mexican food and its place in fine dining
Guest
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