Holiday Special: Interview with Chef Benjamín Velásquez
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The Holiday Season is about friends and family– sharing a meal, a dance and lots of love. In fact, breaking bread together has historically been central to celebrating community, which is why we’re focusing Hola Cultura’s Holiday Special issue on culinary tradition. All week, we’ll upload recipes, articles, and other posts.
For starters, today we have an interview with Featured Chef Benjamín Velásquez, and his recipe for Latino Chicken.
Velasquez, Director of the Carlos Rosario School Culinary Arts Academy, came to the Washington, DC area in 1982 at age 19. He quickly landed a job in a restaurant kitchen and soon realized he’d found his calling, as well. In 1986, he enrolled in a culinary arts program while simultaneously working two full-time jobs. Over the course of his career, he’s worked in some of the best kitchens in the city including the Cosmos Club, the Washington Hilton Hotel, and El Torrito Mexican Restaurant. He’s been a chef/instructor for a quarter of a century, helping to launch the careers of hundreds of immigrants enrolled in the Carlos Rosario’s culinary arts program.
What is the key to becoming a chef?
There are only two components in the career of chef. One is the academic component and the other is the practical. It is not just about cutting onions or learning to roast a chicken. It is a profession as old as mankind. Everyone has to eat. You must understand that this is an industry and a profession.
People also have to be passionate about cooking because while everyone is celebrating with their families, we are working. The weekend is when there is more work. And you must understand two things: One, that the theoretical part is just as important as the practical part. Once you understand that, the sky is the limit.
When did you realize that cooking was your passion?
Once I started at the Culinary School of Washington. The American students were terrified when the instructor asked if any of us had ever killed a chicken. I said yes, because in my country, we have to chase the chicken, catch it, kill it, throw hot water to remove their feathers, et cetera. And my mother would always task me with doing this. I didn’t like it but had to do it if I wanted to eat.
In class that day, I remembered the frustration I had when I started studying and did not speak English well. In that moment, I realized that, as an immigrant, I could compete one-on-one, on equal terms with Americans, Europeans, or even Chinese in this profession.
I had wanted to be a lawyer. After arriving in Washington, I realized the city had many attorneys. And to be a good lawyer you have to use language perfectly. In the kitchen you do not need to be a William Shakespeare. A foreign accent in any other industry is very negative. However, I noticed that my accent in the kitchen worked in my favor. I benefited because Americans respected me.
Do you think that the food is also an important social act that can unite us?
In any society, the kitchen is a place where people do not feel intimidated. It is more like a comfort zone. People often prefer hanging out in the kitchen during a party because they feel more comfortable. In fact, historically, the act of dividing the bread and give thanks to God has been at the center of community sharing and enjoyment.
What are the characteristics of a typical Hispanic Christmas?
From Mexico to Brazil; Colombia to Peru, Christmas traditions are similar but there are nuances that vary. In El Salvador, the most important thing is the embrace at midnight.
Another important component is the Christmas mass at 10 pm. After that, everyone goes home for Christmas dinner. There must be food, drink and dancing. And at midnight, everyone hugs and gives each other gifts. For Central Americans, it is like Thanksgiving and 4th of July together. At twelve o’clock, the party begins with the fireworks.
What is a typical Christmas Eve dinner?
In Salvador, the common Christmas dish is chicken. The chicken sandwich is a special event. French bread slathered with mayonnaise, mustard, beets, sliced radishes, and topped with watercress. The chicken is added with its juices. Some people add green beans.
The French bread is a special treat, something more elegant, a change of pace from the tortillas eaten every day.
What’s your favorite dish from childhood?
I remember the rice pudding that we had on special occasions. It was always served hot, never cold. Like all children, I liked sweet things, so this was one of my favorites. And also atole made of maíz with lots of milk, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. We’d have it every year in mid-August during the harvest celebration on my grandparents’ farm.
What’s your most vivid Christmas memory?
The year I turned 13, there was no gift under my pillow from the Christ Child as there had been in previous years. I threw a fit because you had to be very good throughout the year to get your gift and I had been very good. So I didn’t understand. That’s when my dad gave me the famous talk …
It was a shock to me. I was very innocent. That gift was the biggest joy. You waited all year to receive a toy. And you had to earn it with your good behavior. In those days, it was the only time in the year we received a toy. Today things are changing.
Carlos Rosario School Culinary Arts Academy, a public charter school serving D.C. adults, starts new classes start in February. More information: www.carlosrosario.org
-Photos courtesy of the Carlos Rosario School
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