Hail to the Chef! Interview with Eduardo Alvarez, Executive Chef at the Irving Convention Center
Interview by Drew Brown and Mark Novelli
We sat down with a renown chef and expert in creating high quality culinary experiences for large groups. Eduardo Alvarez is the Executive Chef at the Irving Convention Center, host of RCMA’s Emerge 2020 event. He’s been creating food for conferences and high profile clients for years. He worked at the Dallas Convention Center before becoming the executive chef at Cowboys Stadium under Dallas Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones. On game days, he would oversee 200 employees and food preparation for ten exclusive clubs. This is a man who knows food and how to feed people! Here are some excerpts from our live interview:
Tell us a little bit about how you began working with food.
I first fell in love with food in 1978 when I came to the United States. I was sixteen, and started working as a dishwasher. I watched the chefs and cooks closely, and how they were doing flambé and flames, and doing lots of interesting and dangerous stuff – they would even throw pans at each other! They were fun people having fun in the kitchen and making delicious food. That's when I fell in love and decided I wanted to become a chef. So I started asking, and looking into how to do it.
One day, a chef grabbed me while I was washing dishes, and said, "I'm going to teach you." I didn't really know that he meant I had to peel pounds of garlic, shallots, onions, and carrots by hand! That was his way of teaching me. I had to pass all those tests before he actually started training me and let me work in the pantry. And then after a little time there, he moved me into the hot side and started teaching me more, like how to create delicious sauces. He was French, his restaurant was French, and he showed me how to make lots of nice French sauces.
Was there one particular dish or food that you loved the most to make?
I love to make French cuisine because that is what I was first shown, and I like the techniques that go into developing these dishes. One of my favorite main entrees is the Beef Wellington. It's a mushroom duxelle paté. It's very delicate because you have to sear the mushroom. It is a dish that requires you to put lots of love into it. After it is cooked, I add a nice brandy or Cognac demi-sauce. It’s delicious!
For you, what does it mean to “put lots of love” into your cooking?
You have to make food that you love, that you enjoy eating! Eating is not only about flavor, it is an experience. Food is very powerful. If you create it with heart and put your all into it, it has a power. How it tastes and how it looks creates an experience. You first enjoy a dish with your eyes. Presentation is always important because you want your eyes to eat it first before you even taste it! I care about the presentation and put detail into it. I only want to serve dishes that I want to eat and enjoy, then I know others will also enjoy them. So, with this particular dish, Beef Wellington, I fall in love every time!
What do you love the most about cooking?
I love to cook for people! That's what I’ve been doing since I was 16 years old. I put my heart and my hands into each plate. I love that I have found something that I can put myself into and create. I want to make sure that it's fresh, it tastes great, it's presented well. Making sure that it's like I'm cooking for my family, I want to make sure that they like it and they ask for more. I love cooking. I want to make sure that all of my clients have an outstanding experience. I want them to like it and come back and bring more people with them!
As a head chef, your job focuses as much on managing people as the food. Tell us about your experience working and leading your team.
I'm very demanding in making sure that the kitchen is clean, that we have fresh produce, we have fresh meats, and we have everything fresh as possible. We are very careful to make sure that we serve everyone safely. Managing all of this is not that easy.
I have a good crew of people, a team behind me that I trust and they trust me. We work together well and strive to do our best. Sometimes we have conflicts, but at the end of the day, I make sure it is resolved. We are here to work together and do something good as a team. Whenever possible, I bring everyone together at the same time to have lunch as a team. Being in one room together, talking and joking does a lot to build trust.
Having fun is an important part of being a chef and working with food. Since I started, I make sure that fun is a part of what we do, so our team wants to be here.
Tell us about your experience working with the Dallas Cowboys.
I was Executive Chef with the Dallas Cowboys in the old Texas Stadium. I also helped to prepare staff and assisted with the design of the kitchens for the new stadium. My role was to oversee the preparation of food for the teams and the guest suites.
Cowboys’ owner, Jerry Jones, regularly invited me to prepare food for him at his home. He would come into the kitchen, and taste what I was making and say, "This is what you're going to serve us?"
And I would say, "Yes, sir."
"Man, that's good," he would say, or something very positive to us about the food we prepared.
What brought you to Irving Convention Center?
I worked at the Dallas Convention Center for seven years and gained a lot of experience with convention services. I noticed that this facility was being built from the ground up. I kept thinking about it when I would drive by. So I decided to ask some of my friends in the industry about it, and I found out they were looking for an executive chef, so I applied! I’m grateful to have this job, to have the opportunity to have this management that helps me and supports me with all that I do. And they help me and give me all the tools to do my job with excellence.
Did you have input on the layout of the kitchen?
When I started working here at the Convention Center, the kitchen was very nice, but I wanted a little different layout. I asked the management to see if we can change the design a little. It took a little time for them to understand why, and I explained that it was designed similar to a hotel à la carte restaurant. We needed a design for a convention center! So, we were able to make some important changes. I'm very happy with the way the kitchen is now. The volume is great.
What are you still learning about food?
You can always learn something new about food, it is never ending! There is always a new fish on the market, or new piece of prime rib, or other new dish you want to try. I am always looking at new techniques and new ways to do plate. We are constantly innovating with new ingredients. Gluten-free is very popular right now and we do lots of vegan dishes. All of our sauces are gluten-free. We make all our dressings in-house. We do a zucchini cannelloni that is filled with quinoa, cauliflower, and a roasted tomato sauce. We are not just doing traditional grilled vegetables, we are trying new and interesting things.
What can we expect from you at our event in Irving in 2020?
I want you to experience lots of different foods that we have to offer. I’m very excited for you to come and have your convention with us. I am going to prepare special menus and delicious meals for you. I am looking forward to sharing excellent food and experiences with you!
