Along with tastings from our area’s culinary leaders, Taste of Greater Gainesville showcases some incredible culinary talent during the Iron Chef Gainesville live cooking competition. This year we look forward to watching Volcanic Sushi + Sake’s Nestor Espartero defend his 2017 Iron Chef crown against two competition newcomers: Chef Hung Nguyen, executive chef at Taste Restaurant Group, and Chef Tonya McGowan, executive chef of Centerplate DBA Stewart’s Catering.
Proceeds from the event go to the Child Advocacy Center, PACE Center for Girls Alachua, Ronald McDonald House Charities of North Central Florida and Tyler’s Hope for a Dystonia Cure.
Nestor Espartero
Volcanic Sushi + Sake
Reigning Iron Chef, Nestor Espartero, is the chef and CEO of Volcanic Sushi + Sake. Espartero’s passion for cooking began when he was a young boy. He would watch his grandmother cook every Sunday afternoon, and found joy in the idea of people coming together to eat homemade food and to have fun in each other’s company. He has been a chef for 19 years.
What do you like do in your free time?
I like to create stuff to help make things fast and efficient, like my current patent approved food container, and my latest patent pending all-purpose kitchen/utility knife. I also like to read books on personal development, finances, arts and crafts, and spending time with family and friends.
Tell us about your experiences as HOME’s 2017 Iron Chef.
It was a fun and exciting experience, and it was great to compete against great chef’s in the area.
If you win the title of the Iron Chef Greater Gainesville again, what would you like to come out of this opportunity?
It will be great to have more exposure to restaurants so others will learn who we are.
Chef Hung Nguyen
Taste Restaurant Group
Hung Nguyen is a self-taught chef with 18 years of experience. Nguyen trained himself in creating tasty meals of sushi, Asian fusion, Southeast Asian cuisine and Cantonese cuisine. His greatest influences for his cooking are his mother and his love of food. Nguyen’s signature cuisine is Asian, which he combines with flavors of different foods, as well. He is proficient in knife skills, but said he lacks time spent in the kitchen because of his hectic schedule running the Taste restaurant business. In his free time, Nguyen likes to watch movies, play tennis and basketball, and have a good time with his family and friends. Nguyen said he is ready to let the judges’ taste buds run wild in the Iron Chef competition.
What are your first memories of cooking/being in the kitchen?
Cooking with children in the neighborhood are my first memories. I have always loved food and how food can be so different from chef to chef. The possibilities being a chef are endless.
What are your strengths/secret weapons in the kitchen?
My strength is knowing fundamentals. The basic knowledge of how each ingredient tastes and how ingredients react with one-another is important. I also think I am creative when it comes to food. I would say my age is a secret weapon. Most people think I am young, so I am often underestimated with my skills.
What is something that someone would be surprised to learn about you?
That I actually know how to cook.
Tonya McGowan
Centerplate DBA Stewart’s Catering
Tonya McGowan graduated from the American Culinary Federation program in 1999. She has 19 years of experience in fine dining, and describes her cooking style as modern with a classic twist. McGowan started cooking with her grandmother at a young age. She loves to entertain and thinks sharing a good meal is a great way to get to know someone. Her greatest influence is an advisor who taught her in Europe in the late 1990s. In her free time, McGowan enjoys playing soccer, hiking, biking and other outdoor activities with her children. As a passionate chef, she said there is always room for improvement, but that her work making traditional food that people in Gainesville enjoy is why she should win the bragging rights of the Iron Chef competition.
Who do you cook for? What would they say about your cooking?
At home for my four children, we eat a vegetarian or plant-based diet and they enjoy the wide variety of choices. My clients at the University Athletic Association and University of Florida sporting events have enjoyed the wide variety and high quality of my food, even when serving on such a large scale.
What are your three signature dishes and give a brief description on how you prepare each dish?
Seared Sea Scallop with Butter Squash Mash Accompanied by Roasted Shiitake Mushroom Saffron Cream. I sear the scallops on Himalayan salt blocks in front of the guest.
Grilled New Zealand rack of lamb accompanied by roasted leek white cheddar risotto and cabernet cherry marmalade. I cook the risotto the classical way and carve the rack of lamb in front of the guests.
My soups, salads and sauces. I make all of my own sauces and dressing by hand, and I believe it shows in the high quality of my dishes.
What is something that someone would be surprised to learn about you?
I don’t eat pork.
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Photography by John Sloan
