Austin F&W Spotlight: Rene Ortiz

This weekend, the Austin Food and Wine Festival is taking place in Texas’s most music friendly city, showcasing a host of culinary talent like Rene Ortiz, executive chef at La Condesa and Sway. Born in Houston, Texas and raised in San Antonio, it was at the young age of fourteen that Ortiz found himself cooking at a local coffee shop. Realizing how much enjoyed the restaurant environment, and with a little encouragement from the owner, he quickly decided to embark on his own culinary career.

But after years of working in restaurants around the world, Ortiz returned home, determined to make a mark in his home state. Austin’s La Condesa opened shortly thereafter, paying homage to his Mexican-American heritage, and inspired by México City’s popular Condesa neighborhood. The restaurant features contemporary Mexican cuisine, street food made with fresh ingredients and bold flavors. An automatic hit, Ortiz recently moved onto his next culinary adventure: mastering Thai food. 2012 saw the opening of Sway, Ortiz’s love letter to the flavors and foods of Thailand. The restaurant, like all of Ortiz’s projects, comes from a personal place, showcasing his modern take on Thai cuisine with a focus on the Australian style Thai cooking he enjoyed while living in Sydney.

On the eve of the Austin Food and Wine Festival, where Ortiz will be participating in the Rock Your Taco Celebrity Chef Showdown and at The Fire Pit, we caught up with the chef to talk about his inspiration, what he craves, and his future plans.

What inspired you to pursue cooking professionally? 

It was more of a means, I really became keen on it by doing it for my folks. It was a way to help pay rent, get out of the situation we were in. When I was older, I got accepted into Texas A&I, got there, and decided this was not for me, so I sold all my stuff, packed up my things and moved to New York. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do there, but I had my little tool box of knives/tools, and decided I would start looking for a job.

Where did you begin this new journey? 

The first ever job was cooking at old Lord & Taylor’s, living at the YMCA. For two weeks, I would work at Lord & Taylor’s in the morning, and looked for work at night. The first place I walked into was Las Pillar’s and it was so intense for me to see all these chefs working back there, I just walked away. I‘m not an aggressive person at all, so it was really weird for me. I walked around the city, chilled out and then went out there again. I had worked there for two weeks for free when the chef turned to me and said ‘Ahh okay, we’ll hire you.” 

What is your philosophy on food and dining?

The most important thing to me is that the mouths that are eating are happy and having a spectacular time. No one is allowed to call me ‘chef’, they need to use my name because that’s who I am as a person. It’s a passion that makes me happy on a day to day basis. It’s not work, it’s my art.

You have recently opened Sway. Can you discuss your passion for Thai food and the different process involved in creating Mexican food versus Thai? 

This restaurant has been in my head for fifteen years. The harmony of the Mexican chile, for instance — the sour, the sweet, the bitter — not everyone understands them, but they understand food, and they know what tastes good. It’s the same way with Thai food. I had all these wonderful experiences in my life that allowed me to connect with individuals, the culture and build upon that.  The experience in Sydney really made my palette grow, become a better chef.  

Who are you looking forward to meeting at this year’s Food & Wine Festival?

I’m just excited to have the energy in the city. For us, it really allows us to step it up in the kitchen. The Austin food scene is great, it continues to evolve and many, many people are moving here from different countries with a dream to open a restaurant.  For me, it’s exciting, whatever I can do to help. It’s a beautiful thing.

What does success mean for you? Where do you see yourself in five years?  

Me? Oh my goodness, all I do is plan. In five years, I can see rainbows, fuzzy clouds, and sparkles. Full of wonderful delights.

After a long day of working with food, what do you crave when you get home? What do you cook for family and friends? 

When it comes to me, cooking and relaxing is always about grilling — one of my favorite things. My kids like stir fries, Southeast Asian flavors in the house. I feel most comfortable cooking farm food; I have a farm fresh delivery, and I cook from there. We get down on some good, clean, food.   

Get a taste of Ortiz’s kitchen with this recipe. 

Taquitos Arabicos 

• 10 Fresno chiles, chopped
• 6 red bell pepper, seeded and ribs removed, diced
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 oak smoked dried chipotle chile, toasted and ground
• 1 teaspoon cumin, toasted and ground
• 1 lemon
• extra virgin olive oil, to taste
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 1 English cucumber, cut in half lengthwise, sliced into 1/8-inch half-moons
• 1 lemon, juiced plus 1/4 teaspoon zest

Get the full recipe.