At the Table with Telmo Faria

Telmo Faria is the executive chef at San Francisco’s Tacolicious and a contributor to the cookbook of the same name, Tacolicious: Festive Recipes for Tacos, Snacks, Cocktails, and More, which will be on sale in the U.S. September 2^nd.

The son of Portuguese immigrants, Faria spent the early part of his childhood on the island of Faial in the Azores, Portgual, where his father operated two restaurants. He then moved to San Jose, CA, where he grew up in a Latino neighborhood. Faria credits San Jose with fostering his love of Latin cuisine. Prior to becoming executive chef at Tacolicious, Faria was execute chef at La Salette in Sonoma and Tropisueño in San Francisco.

His creative twists on classic taco recipes featured in this month's issue of Latina Magazine make for mouthwatering meals. We wondered what Faria cooked when he wasn’t in the Tacolicious kitchen. Here’s what he had to say. 

Dish you crave from your abuela:

The dish I crave from my Avò (she’s Portuguese) is her carne asada which is actually a beef roast with potatoes. (And it’s not grilled.)

Secret ingredient to make a dish pop:

Lemon or lime. A lot of times a little burst of acidity will make a dish come to life.

Favorite Latin restaurant in the U.S.:

La Mar in San Francisco.

Favorite city to eat in:

Mexico City D.F. and Taipei.

Secret to a perfect dinner party:

Keep it simple and fun. Don’t go outside of your comfort zone.

Biggest food indulgence:

The tasting menu at benu in San Francisco.

Favorite vegetable:

Oddly enough, onion. I love its versatility and range.

Best food memory:

As a kid, my dad was friends with deep sea and tuna fishermen. He would take me to eat lunch on the boat with the fishermen. I loved it!

Ideal breakfast, lunch and dinner:

Eggs Benedict for breakfast; mariscos (coctel, tostadas, aguachiles) and beer for lunch; a nice roast (pork, beef or chicken) with potatoes and salad for dinner.

Favorite Latin cocktail:

Maracuya Pisco Sour

Favorite kitchen gadget:

Diamond steel because you have to keep knives sharp.

Perfect song to cook to:

Notorious B.I.G – Juicy.

Most adventurous food you eat:

Raw limpets or “opini” in Hawaii. They’re mollusks related to sea snails.

Favorite fusion:

Peru’s “chifa” cuisine, a mix of Chinese and Latin.

Tip for at-home cooks:

Don’t be afraid to try new dishes and techniques. Practice makes you better.