Iliana de la Vega
Executive Chef / Owner of El Naranjo and Mexican Culinary Traditions, Consultant at Stanford University Dining Enterprises
“If something doesn't work, try it in a different way.„
JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION AWARD
EXPERIENCE
Primarily in the early days of any civilization, men were in charge of getting food and women were in charge of preparing it. In the specific case of Mexican cuisine, it's a cuisine created by women. I love to make people happy through food – that was my mom's way! I have no problem with men cooking, but it feels right to be a woman chef and have my work recognized. I know it's also an inspiring role for many more women, and it can make them feel empowered to fight for that role as well.
Lessons I’ve learned throughout my career: work hard, keep trying, persevere, never give up and be creative.
Teach by example. If I can do it, my team can too. I also always listen to their personal and job-related problems or personal situations, and they know I am always available for them. We talk about what we can improve and do better each day. It's also important to not only acknowledge when they make mistakes (as we have all failed and made mistakes), but when anyone does something right, we recognize it.
In our type of cuisine, there are so many misconceptions, so with our menu, we have to teach the staff about ingredients, flavors, components, names, etc., so they can share that experience with the guests.
There are also certain things that I can't give up or compromise on, such as quality, flavor and great products.
I think the most important thing is to like what you do, and I like what I do. I love my job. The feedback is immediate, so you are always aware and receptive, and it helps you to keep thinking about how to make things better. I often joke that when you work in the hospitality business in any capacity, you get a virus under your skin that's impossible to remove.
When it comes to maintaining a healthy work/life balance, I have been very lucky as I work with my husband and my daughters. We always have dinner together (with whoever is living in our household at the time); we relax, enjoy a glass of wine and share our thoughts, feelings, concerns, dreams. This is what we call in Mexico "la sobremesa." For many years, we haven't had a vacation or time off. It's always been work and more work, but finally, my husband and I are trying to relax a little and travel a little too.
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