Community Corner
Meet the New Chef de Cuisine at the Ritz Carlton
I first met Chef Agustin at the Savor Sarasota Kickoff party at Fleming's Prime Steakhouse. Several chefs had gathered to share a dish they would be featuring on their Savor menu. It was love
Meet the New Chef de Cuisine at the , Chef Reylon Agustin. I first met Chef Reylon at the Savor Sarasota Kickoff party at . Several chefs had gathered to share a dish they would be featuring on their Savor menu. It was love at first bite. Taking a few steps out on a limb, this young talented culinarian chose mackerel ceviche. It was magnificent and thus a new resident chef stole the show!
Chef Reylon’s accomplishments are many, including gold medals for best food and wine pairings 2009 and 2010 (against 40 competitors) at the Lake Tahoe Autumn Food and Wine Festival.
His impressive career began with stints at 3-star Michelin restaurants under Gordon Ramsay, Chef de Cuisine at the highly acclaimed Jardinière in San Francisco, Fat Duck, Gary Danko and Chez Panisse.
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While the profile and resume are AAA Diamond, this quiet chef is humble, gracious and a dotting dad. I sat down and asked the chef a few “get to know you” questions:
Patch: When not cooking, what stimulates you?
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Chef Reylon: I’ve studied martial arts since I was a kid. I believe it ties in with how you cook in making sure that every movement is efficient and purposeful.
Patch: If you could play music while cooking at work what would it be?
Chef Reylon: Definitely Frank Sinatra. Great classics never die and everything else usually is a derivative of those classics, whether it is music, food or whatever.
Patch: What is your favorite junk food?
Chef Reylon: Flaming Cheetos with lime. Can’t help it. They’re crunchy, spicy, sour and absolutely delicious. I would finish a bag in one sitting if I didn’t know the feeling of guilt. So I stop and usually finish it the next day. I buy them two at a time.
Patch: What chefs do you admire most?
Chef Reylon: I admire Grant Achatz for his perseverance against cancer and not slowing down; instead he’s opened “Next”, “Aviary” and has a new book, “Life on the Line”. That’s insane – which is a quality that most chefs have to possess to stay sane. Marco Pierre White is another chef I admire. He studied under the great chefs that young culinarians read about and a great number of today’s popular chefs have passed through his kitchen in their career. He was the first chef from Britain to earn 3 stars from Le Guide Michelin and the youngest. He was a madman but in working under Gordon Ramsay, his most known apprentice, I came to understand that the madness is born of the passion to want to do good food every time. I can respect that.
Patch: What is your absolute go-to dish?
Chef Reylon: Handmade pasta. It’s simple, it’s quick and the wow factor is always there. If you haven’t had handmade pasta, you haven’t ever had good pasta. Come see me.
