Winner will appear in Taste of Home magazine, cook with Carla Hall, and take home $25,000
Kind heart, humble cook with potential. Life hit hard. Lost it. Now I'm back; I owe this to myself.
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Receive Text UpdatesMy signature dish is Nolo Paella : a Paella with Puerto Rican soul: fried pork, sweet plantains, pigeon peas. Named after my dad. I love making paellas, and this mix of arroz con gandules, pork, and sweet plantains is a classic back home. We turned it into one dish with little secrets. Served with an herbaceous chimichurri aioli that pairs perfectly with the sweet plantains.
Who is your culinary inspiration?My biggest culinary inspiration is my childhood; grandparents cooking, eating, and partying together. My dad was my greatest influence; he just got it. But my biggest reason now is community. I miss home so much, and I want to transmit that energy through food. To create the connection we all need, especially for those here alone far from family. This is me. These are my roots and this is why I cook.
What would you do with the $25,000?With $25K? My heart says go home to Puerto Rico. Open a little spot where I feed my people; the ones who raised me, the island that made me. Be near my family again. If not? Then I build that same love here. A place where those far from home find a table and warmth. That's my dream! to give back in some form.
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