Guillermo Tellez
Executive Chef,
Red Owl Tavern
Red Owl Tavern
s a child growing up in Ciudad Hidalgo in central Mexico, Executive Chef Guillermo Tellez recalls the colors and aromas that flavored his mother's kitchen and his neighborhood. Homemade breads and pastries. Chilies and vegetables at the market. After moving to the United States at age 13, Tellez shortly realized his career must involve a kitchen.
His dedication to the craft had Tellez working with Charlie Trotter, earning the first ever James Beard Foundation's Felipe Rojas-Lombardi Award of Achievement for Hispanic Chefs, and opening "C," a Charlie Trotter restaurant in Los Cabos. Now, as executive chef of Red Owl Tavern, Tellez is marrying the rich flavors of his experiences and travels into different patterns and tastes.
- Q: What Special Award/Recognition are you most proud of?
- A: Attending Madeleine Kamman's Professional Cooking School for American chefs at Beringer Vineyards in the Napa Valley, and becoming the first-ever winner of the James Beard Foundation's Felipe Rojas-Lombardi Award of Achievement for Hispanic Chefs.
- Q: Who is your culinary mentor?
- A: The great Charlier Trotter, Thomas Kelley, and Fredy Girardet.
- Q: What is your single favorite ingredient?
- A: Varlrhona chocolate and Hawaiian vintage chocolate.
- Q: Who would you most like to cook for?
- A: Anyone with a great appreciation for the purity of flavors and 'uncompromised' cuisine.
- Q: What is your favorite cookbook?
- A: White Heat.
- Q: Name a career highlight.
- A: Cooking for the Prime Minister Tony Blair and Annie Lennox in London.
Red Owl | 433 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106 | Phone: (215) 923-2267 | www.redowltavern.com