From Chicago to Austin and now Sioux Falls, executive chef brings fresh perspective to kitchen
April 4, 2024
This paid piece is sponsored by Vanguard Hospitality.
“It’s not where you’re at; it’s who you’re with.”
That simple statement led an executive chef from Austin, Texas, by way of Chicago and New Orleans, to Sioux Falls.
“Because of me moving around so much, I never got to spend time with my family, and I decided it’s best to do it now,” said Jorge Garcia, who soon will mark his one-year anniversary as executive chef at Grille 26.
A work opportunity led his father to move the family from Chicago, where Garcia grew up, to Sioux Falls two years ago. Then, his grandmother joined them from Uruguay, where he was born, and that sealed the proverbial deal.
The chef who’d cut his culinary teeth at fine dining restaurants in major markets was headed to Sioux Falls.
“I’m very happy with it,” he said. “For me, it’s more of a small town. People know each other. It feels like a community. The chefs have introduced me to people here, and we’re working with local farms and meeting with them. It makes me really happy knowing the faces I’m working with and knowing I can go visit my produce when it’s in season. They’ve been a huge help to me.”
Garcia has been a huge asset for Grille 26 too.
“We’ve really enjoyed having him on our team,” said Ken Bashore, CEO of Vanguard Hospitality. “He’s a strong leader, a talented chef and a hard worker. He’s definitely had an impact inside the kitchen and out.”
Garcia didn’t always intend to spend his career in a restaurant kitchen. He briefly considered medical school for nursing and instead landed a job at 18 as a front-of-house manager before helping open a restaurant in Chicago.
“They made me a manager – I think I was 19 – and I had no idea what I was doing,” he said. “But I was good with people, and I’m a very patient person, and I don’t get stressed. So one night, they needed someone to help in the kitchen, and again I didn’t know what I was doing, but I just fell in love with it. I like the atmosphere. I like how crazy it can get and when you have those moments where you make something and people really appreciate it.”
From there, he moved to New Orleans seeking culinary mentors and found them at Palace Cafe, which is co-owned by the family behind the restaurant where the classic bananas Foster dessert was invented.
“That was my first fine dining job, and from there I went back to Chicago, where I worked at another fine dining restaurant called Joseph’s, and that’s where it really started for me.”
From there, it was on to Austin, Texas, where he worked at Mandola’s Italian Kitchen and as executive chef at Taverna, another Italian restaurant.
“My background is Italian cuisine,” he said.
You can see Garcia’s influence in the new Grille 26 menu, which includes a variety of pasta dishes and several pizzas.
“Some of these dishes are not found in Sioux Falls – a truffle mushroom pizza that I created, which you don’t often see in a more casual restaurant,” he said. “Same with our birria tacos, and our Detroit-style pizzas have been very popular, especially now that we have hot honey.”
The pasta dishes are a specialty, he added.
“You’ll see vegetarian choices and the option to add a protein because a lot of people are trying to manage how they eat,” Garcia said. “The idea was to update the menu to more current dishes while keeping many of the favorites, and I’m really happy they gave me the opportunity.”
His experience being part of the Vanguard Hospitality team has been rewarding, he added.
“During the interviews, it seemed like I was a good fit, and they’ve welcomed me and been very nice and supportive with decisions we’ve made,” he said. “I think being bilingual really helps, and we’ve grown our team and made positive changes. They’re a really good company, and I’m very happy with them.”
