EXECUTIVE CHEF PORFIRIO GOMEZ

A native of Zapopan, a suburb of Guadalajara, Chef Porfirio Gomez was initially drawn to cuisine at the age of 8 while learning to make several types of cheese at his mother’s cheese factory. By the age of 10 he was not only mastering his knowledge of making cheeses, but was also delving into the world of butchering livestock. His humble beginnings as a cook would stem from watching his grandmother, Jesus Maria, make elaborate and delicious meals from any ingredients she could gather around the kitchen whenever they had company.

In 1992, Porfirio was only fifteen-years-old when he immigrated to the United States and began working as a field-worker, picking green beans in Irvine. From the fields he moved to McCormick & Schmick’s kitchen, where the mentorship of its chef led him quickly from the salad station to Executive Sous Chef within one year’s time. Since then, he’s worked at some of the most revered restaurants and resorts in Southern California, including Four Seasons Newport Beach, Scott’s Seafood, and now at Andrei’s for the past decade.