I didn't realize I'd been holding my breath until I scrolled past the James Beard Award Finalists for Best Chef South headline and saw Natalia Vallejo's name. A surge of blood jolted through my body and landed squarely on my face and neck, breaking them out in big red splotches. Under her name sat her restaurant's name- Cocina Al Fondo, and then the words I'd been waiting to see for years: San Juan, Puerto Rico. My eyes watered so hard and fast that they fogged up my glasses.
You see, a Puerto Rican chef has never won a James Beard Award. Our first finalist didn't come until 2015, when Chef Jose Enrique made the shortlist for Best Chef South. He made the finals another four times in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 but has always walked away empty-handed.
If you aren't familiar with the James Beard Awards, they're the Oscars of the culinary world. They're an event where the shining stars of our food culture get recognized for their dedication to pushing American cuisine forward. The awards are named after the first chef ever to have a cooking show, James Beard. He was a lover of all things food, a celebrated teacher and cookbook author, and the man Julia Child called "The dean of American Cooking." Many consider Beard "America's First Foodie." He dedicated his life to elevating the culinary landscape.
The awards embody Beard's commitment to preserving classic American cooking. They also highlight the men and women fueling American cuisine's evolution. What began as a boat party in New York City in 1991 has evolved into a televised red-carpet culinary throw-down at Chicago's Lyric Opera House, with some of the best chefs in the country in attendance, trading their aprons and chef coats for ball gowns and tuxedos.
And now, on the ceremony's 25th anniversary, we might have our first Puerto Rican winner! I am BESIDE myself.
It might seem silly to dream of watching a Puerto Rican chef accept a James Beard Award. But for me, it means our little island's finally been invited to the grown-ups’ table. Puerto Rico has, as Chef Jose Andres once said, "some of the most exciting cuisine in the world," but when it comes to awards and recognition, we are often overlooked.
When mainlanders think of Puerto Rico, they might think of reggaeton, Bad Bunny, Ricky Martin, or JLo. They might talk of white sand beaches flanked by water that's so crystalline it looks like melted sapphires. Some think of violent hurricanes. Others of an economy that's left almost half of the island's residents living well below the poverty line.
I dream of a day when mainlanders think of Puerto Rico as THE place to find some of the best food in the world: delicious, yes, but also thoughtful and unique. A cuisine plated by artists, not just fighting for their restaurant's survival but doing everything they can to resurrect their island's agriculture, preserve culinary traditions, and push the boundaries of what Puerto Rican food is and can be.
When the pandemic hit, and the hospitality industry was dealt a death blow, many mainland chefs were vocal about the need for the government to help them survive the loss of foot traffic, labor shortages, and food supply issues. These hurdles were considered almost insurmountable- and they are. Yet, Puerto Rican chefs have faced these same hurdles for decades without so much as a peep from the mainland.
And still, they rise. They push forward each day to keep our food stories alive and to expand the reach of our cuisine, La Cocina Criolla. That's why they have my heart. I admire them so profoundly that when I think of their sacrifice, it makes me clench my jaw to keep from crying.
I stared at the entry again: Best Chef South, Natalia Vallejo, Cocina Al Fondo, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
As you saw in the video above, I got the incredible opportunity to host the James Beard Foundation's Taste America Dinner at Natalia's restaurant. The dinner series highlights the work of twenty of the nation's finest chefs, with a mission of "spotlighting the breadth and unity of culinary creativity, showcasing the centrality of American food culture, and celebrating diverse communities."
That event was just the second Taste America dinner a Puerto Rican chef had ever been asked to host. Cocina Al Fondo is tucked away on a side street in Santurce. As I entered the small dining room, I could see the pride on the service staff's faces as they prepared for this historic night. I said my hellos as a producer led me to the outdoor space where most of the guests would be seated, a patio covered in sparkling white gravel with softly glowing lights strung from vibrant tropical trees.
There is something intoxicating about dusk on our little island, and I soaked this magic in as I sat at an empty table, listening to the hum of the crew getting ready for service. The sound of the coqui, Puerto Rico's singing tree frog, came in like wind chimes ringing softly in the breeze. The saturated orange of our sun faded from view, transforming the sky into swatches of blues, pinks, golds, and violets.
Natalia is a member of The Taste 20, the James Beard Foundation's collection of the most talented chefs in the nation. Standing shoulder to shoulder with Chef Vallejo is another member of The Taste 20, Los Angeles-based Natalia Pereira of the Wood Spoon member. They’ve collaborated on the night's menu, a celebration of their Puerto Rican and Brazilian heritage. It is International Women’s Day, and two women are leading a historic dinner on an island where most women don’t make it to a head chef position. I am overwhelmed with pride.
Someone placed a welcome cocktail in my hand. It fizzled in its champagne flute, a mixture of Don Q Gran Reserva Añejo XO Rum with macerated basil, lime, lavender, a yuzu reduction, lemon, and sparkling wine. It was light and refreshing.
It was followed by a savory pan de queijo, a pillowy Brazilian cheese bread layered with buttery pork belly, pungent arugula, and a jam made from local sweet peppers.
The first course was served after opening remarks. A velvety soup made of purple taro root blended with creamy chayote and topped with crunchy pork rinds and toasted cohitre, a plant that grows wild on the island.
The second course was a playful take on gnocchi made of yucca dough and presented in a whimsical coil set gingerly in a Caribbean lobster stew with toasted cassava flour and basil oil.
The third course was a fragrant goat stew dotted with vibrant watercress and pea flower petals, served over a root vegetable mash and a dank red wine gooseberry reduction.
The final course was light and traditional. A humble but delightful dulce de leche sauce served with cured cheese and a fritter of crushed pineapple and shredded coconut.
Besides its historical significance, what made the dinner incredible was the pride with which local ingredients were celebrated. On an island that imports 80% of its food, almost the entire dinner was made with locally grown produce and goods manufactured by the community. Using these ingredients, Natalia showcased the hard work of a new generation of farmers and producers hell-bent on reviving Puerto Rico's agricultural roots, including Frutos del Guacabo, Alcor Foods, Finca La Felicidad, Finca Carite, Finca Huerto Escaleras, Antonio Rosa, Tommy Forte, and Quesos Vaca Negra.
The event was such a success it left many of us savoring the possibilities of a revived culinary movement. I whispered to my friends that I thought Natalia would be the first Puerto Rican chef to win a James Beard Award. They smiled and nodded in understanding.
And now, here we are, one step closer. The thought of Natalia walking across that stage to accept the award, a woman thriving in a male-dominated field and the first Puerto Rican to ever receive the medal, had me crying all over again.
So what's so important about a James Beard Award? What can a medal do for a failing economy that relies on tourism?
Remember the scene in pulp fiction where John Travolta is holding a shot of adrenaline over an overdosed and makeup-smeared Uma Thurman? There is a clenching of his jaw, a tensing of his body as he prepares to drive the shot through her breastplate, the adrenaline escaping the tip of the needle like the slow drip of a broken faucet.
A James Beard Award can take Puerto Rico’s culinary landscape from that tense scene to the next- in an instant. It is a shot of adrenaline. Like Uma, our island's gastronomy and the food tourism we rely on would gasp back to life, a little worse for wear, but with a beauty that is undeniable.
It is a small number of chefs that work to preserve and push the boundaries of Cocina Criolla. Our beloved cuisine reflects who we are, our origins, and the fading culture that shaped us. When you're a small family of culinarians rarely recognized, much less awarded for their work, a win for one is a win for all.
Natalia, estamos contigo! may you kick that door open and be the first among us to have that medal placed around your neck. And may you not be the last.
Puerto Rico Headed To The James Beard Awards