Chef Douglas Rodriguez
Chef Douglas Rodriguez is often regarded as the inventor of Nuevo Latino cuisine. Owning some of the hottest restaurants in the country including Chicama, Pipa and OLA in New York City, OLA Miami, and Alma de Cuba in Philadelphia, Chef Rodriguez is one of America's most honored chefs as recently appeared on Bravo's top-rated show, Top Chef Masters.
Educated at Johnson & Wales University, Rodriguez' professional career began in Miami. In 1994 he opened New York's Patria, garnering three stars from the New York Times in 1996. Awards and honors include the Chefs of America Award (1991), Culinary Master of North American and New York Award (1994), the James Beard Foundation's "Rising Star Chef Awards" (1996), and a nomination for Beard's 1999 Best Chef: New York. Chef Rodriguez's westward dining venture landed him in Scottsdale at The Westin Kierland where he started deseo, which means "desire" in Spanish. Chef Rodriguez is also the author of four cookbooks published by Ten Speed Press: Nuevo Latino, Latin Ladles, Latin Flavors on the Grill, and The Great Ceviche Book.