Catching Up with Chef José Enrique

It’s been a whirlwind of a year for chef José Enrique. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in New York City, the Puerto Rican chef returned to his island many years ago, and set up a shop across from Santurce’s food market. Every day he cooked up what he found in the stalls, celebrating fresh ingredients and the cocina criolla he grew up with. That joint grew into three restaurants (Jose Enrique, Miel, and Capital), and a 2013 Food & Wine Magazine Best New Chef award and a James Beard nomination. Now, after shining a spotlight on elevated Puerto Rican cuisine, Enrique is exactly where you would expect him to be: on his island, in his kitchen, cooking up the best food he knows how to cook, and having a great time.

TLK caught up with Enrique to talk about his earliest food memories, where he gets his inspiration, and what he hopes diners take away from cuisine. (Hint: It’s more than just a full belly.)

What are some of your earliest food memories?

I was surrounded by food. Before I was born, my grandparents owned a restaurant and my aunt was a chef. My family is basically why I ended up cooking. Food was always a part of something, if someone was cooking you knew you were going to have a good time.

Puerto Rico isn’t usually recognized for its cuisine. Why did you decide to become a chef?

I just graduated from high school and I went to college, I wanted to be a lawyer. I lasted two months. That was it. I knew I liked to cook and luckily the CIA had just started a six-month program on the island. I talked to Wilo Benet and he suggested I head to New York so I could do what I really wanted to do. And my family was incredibly supportive, they said ‘we don’t care what you do, just put your heart into it. Just make sure you do it right.’

How was your experience at CIA in New York City?

The school was awesome in those times. I was extremely happy with my time there, not only with the chefs and my teachers, just the amount of information that lives in that place. If you take advantage of that, if you take that and use it, you can go far.

You spent some time in Florida and Louisiana before deciding to return to PR, what prompted you to go back to the island?

I always knew I’d come back. This is home to me, I truly love the beach, I love surfing, it was a big pull for me. When I got back, one of my neighbors had this restaurant, they weren’t happy with it and offered to sell it to me. I wasn’t planning on it, I was 29 and thought that by 35, I wanted to have my own restaurant. I thought maybe it was too soon for me, that I wanted to learn more. But when I saw it, the neighborhood, the food market, the bars, the ambience… it was really alive. The opportunity was there, so I took it and that turned into José Enrique.

The restaurant can be found along the bustling streets of Santurce surrounded by markets. How did the neighborhood play a role in the restaurant and the menu?

A lot of my produce comes directly through the market, it’s truly what makes the menu. I put it on the chalkboard and it changes daily. It’s a mix of what I can find in the market and what I’m feeling – what fruits and produce and protein is fresh and my emotions, if it’s raining, if I’m happy, if I’m sad, it all goes into the menu.

How would you describe your cooking style?

Its criollo because I do have a lot of plates with that base: tropical, tons of acid, tons of lime, tart and sweet fruits. But I also like to play around. If some one calls me and says ‘I have beautiful king salmon’, I say ‘Dude, FedEx that to me right now!’ I don’t like to stay in one corner. We try not to mess it with ingredients too much, my style is about the ingredients and my inspiration is my surroundings and feelings.

You were recently voted one of Food & Wine Best News Chefs and you are a James Beard semifinalist. How do honors like that inspire you?

It’s huge, it’s funny because I’m always pushing. I’m a happy person but I’m never really happy with what I’m cooking. I’m always pushing, pushing, pushing for food to get better. With all these awards, I just need to push even more. It’s such a big thing, it’s a whirlwind. It’s the first time in Puerto Rico, opening that door, I’m extremely happy about it.

What do you want people to know about Puerto Rican cuisine?

I focus on my food and my drinks and I focus on having a good time. The restaurant is lively, the music is loud, the people are loud, people are having a good time. I hope guests remember to relax, that they know they can sit back and have fun. I hope the food is ingredient driven, fresh, and embodies the island’s location. We’re in the Caribbean, there’s a laid back feeling, and we’re enjoying it all.