About Chef Pablo

0 Comments | June 10, 2012

Hi there,

Chef-Pablo-Bio-ImageMy name is Pablo and I’m very grateful you’ve taken the time to check out my recipes. I’m honored you would visit and I hope you’ll spend some time looking around at what I have to offer.  If you have any questions, please visit my contact page and I’ll do my best to respond as quickly as possible. In the mean time, here’s my story…

I was fortunate enough to grow up in a house where my dad and mom both loved to cook. Our weekends typically centered around food and what was being served at each meal, with Sundays being particularly special. Brunch was always a big deal and my parents would spend a great deal of effort to make this a special time for us all.  Some of my favorites were my dads curried eggs, huevos rancheros and his famous S.O.S. or sh*t on a shingle which is basically creamed beef on toast (he was a WWII vet, retired from the U.S. Army). We also enjoyed more traditional meals such as eggs and pancakes.

Typically, before we’d even sat down to enjoy our brunch, dad was already cutting and preparing food for our Sunday dinner, which was always enjoyed in our “formal dining room.”  We were a typical middle class American family, but my parents loved having a formal dining room.  After brunch, the wine started to flow, the Big Band music was cranked up and he started to prepare a literal feast.  It really was something you’d expect to see royalty enjoying.  I think it’s because my dad grew up very poor in Liverpool England and he prided himself on serving his family more food than we could ever consume, something he couldn’t imagine having as a child.

I started cooking these meals with my parents and my dad always encouraged us to experiment with the ingredients.  Sometimes that worked out well and sometimes it didn’t.  But, nothing is a failure as long as you learn from it and improve the next go around.

Growing up in San Diego, authentic Mexican food was always nearby, if not at a friend or neighbors house, at one of the many taco shops in town.  When that wasn’t enough, the family would take a short 10 minute drive south and enjoy the real deal in Tijuana Mexico.  As I got older, I began to explore even more of the authentic Mexican foods, even enjoying tacos from the trucks you find lining the streets of Tijuana.  Some of the best food you’ll ever have touch your lips.

The one cuisine San Diego is known for the most is our fish tacos. The king of the pack is Ralph Rubio and his Rubio’s Fresh Mexican Grill.  When I first heard of a fish taco, I imagined some minced up more mushy fish meat stuffed inside a horrible pre-made taco shell, covered in cheese and lettuce.  It didn’t sound too appealing to me but I eventually gave it a shot.  WOW!  I was hooked, no pun intended.  A crispy battered fillet of mild Pollock meat in a warm thick soft corn tortilla, with a special white sauce on it and topped with crisp fresh cabbage.  It was an amazing taste and one I could enjoy every day.  Today Rubio’s has expanded and you’ll find them all over the western half of the United States. Others have stepped into the fish taco arena as well and some of the best tacos are found at small local restaurants around San Diego.  The last time I was there, I found a new favorite at the South Beach Grill in Ocean Beach.  Amazing!

In the early 2000’s my work pulled me away from San Diego to the Inland Northwest where most people had never heard of a fish taco and grimaced whenever it was mentioned. This left me with no other choice than to figure out how to duplicate that amazing flavor in my own kitchen.  This was the beginning of my interest in duplicating famous restaurant recipes.

After years and years of searching for my favorite restaurant recipes online, never really finding exactly what I was looking for, I decided to take matters into my own hands.  The purpose of this site is to bring together the “best of the best” all in one place.

If you’ve ever been disappointed by a clone, copycat or restaurant recipe, you know my pain.  I work very hard to find the best recipes available and then I perfect them further to make sure they meet my standards and hopefully yours.

Though I go by Chef Pablo, I’ve not graduated from a culinary school but rather,  I’m a self-trained chef who has a passion for food and everything about it.  You won’t find me dazzling you with my knife skills but I will lay before you an amazing meal you’ll be talking about for years to come.  I hope you enjoy your time here at my site and tell others about it.

If you have any questions, please email me ChefPablo@RestaurantRecipesBook.com

Your search is over!