SAN ANTONIO – At the center of the culinary scene in San Antonio are the up and coming chefs, many of them being taught right here at the Culinary Institute of America.
The college's campus also features an on-campus restaurant, Nao: New World Flavors, headed up by Chef Geronimo Lopez.
From Venezuela, Chef Lopez came to San Antonio three years ago to be the executive chef at Nao and to instruct students in the associate degree program.
At Nao, Chef Lopez says their mission is the exploration and fusion of Latin cuisines.
"The idea is for the students to get exposure to that type of cuisines and, of course, for the clientele to be exposed to that type of cuisine."
Chef Lopez thinks the CIA has a central role in the growth behind San Antonio cuisine and is very proud that most of the kitchens leading the way right now have a CIA graduate working in them.
Besides training future chefs, Chef Lopez is very passionate about searching for and including local products in his food.
"There is a lot of beautiful healthy food that is out there that you just need to discover that is exotic but actually very friendly to the palate."
As the culinary scene continues to grow in San Antonio, Chef Lopez believes more amazing things are to come for the city and chefs here will continue to make unique food.
For more on the CIA and Nao you can visit the following websites: