Alex García is a

Cuban American Cuban Americans ( es, cubanoestadounidenses or ''cubanoamericanos'') are Americans who trace their cultural heritage to Cuba regardless of phenotype or ethnic origin. The word may refer to someone born in the United States of Cuban descent or t ...

chef who helped popularize a version of Cuban food at several

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

restaurants and on the

Food Network Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a joint venture and general partnership between Warner Bros. Discovery Networks (which holds a 69% ownership stake of the network) and Nexstar Media Group ( ...

. Born in

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

, García attended Northeastern University in

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

where he earned a degree in

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

and restaurant management. García later attended the

Culinary Institute of America Culinary arts are the cuisine arts of food preparation, cooking and presentation of food, usually in the form of meals. People working in this field – especially in establishments such as restaurants – are commonly called chefs or ...

, and

Florida International University Florida International University (FIU) is a public research university with its main campus in Miami-Dade County. Founded in 1965, the school opened its doors to students in 1972. FIU has grown to become the third-largest university in Florid ...

. He worked alongside chef Douglas Rodriguez for four years at Yuca restaurant in Miami. García's work in New York has included stints on the

Soho Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was develo ...

, ''

Babalu Babalu may refer to: * "Babalú", a 1939 song popularized by Desi Arnaz in the 1940s * '' BaBalu'', a 2001 Michael Bublé album * Babalu, Iran, a village in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * The nickname for mixed martial artist Renato Sobral * Ba ...

'', '' Patria'', and ''

Calle Ocho Calle means "street" in Spanish and Venetian. Calle may also refer to: Places *Calle-Calle River, southern Chile *Stations of the TransMilenio mass-transit system of Bogotá, Colombia: **Suba Calle 95 (TransMilenio) **Suba Calle 100 (TransMileni ...

''. García's first cookbook, ''In a Cuban Kitchen'' ( ), was published in September 2004 in the United States and in England. His career suffered a setback in 2003 when he was indicted in federal district court in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

and charged with conspiracy and money laundering. García was found guilty of money laundering, but served no time. In 2007 García was the consulting chef at a new restaurant called '' Carniceria'' on Smith Street,

, as well as the Gaucho Steak Company, a themed South American fast food outlet in

Hells Kitchen Hell's Kitchen, also known as Clinton, is a neighborhood on the West Side of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is considered to be bordered by 34th Street (or 41st Street) to the south, 59th Street to the north, Eighth Avenue to the e ...

. Currently Chef Alex Garcia is the Director of Culinary Operations for Barrio Foods and leads the Barrio Foods catering business, MAMBO catering. Chef Garcia not only created the culinary programs but also oversees the kitchens at a number of his properties throughout New York City including

, the Copacabana Supper Club, the VIP food service at the Copacabana Nightclub, Barrio, Havana Café, Havana Room, Open Book Café at the Brooklyn Public Library, Cabana Bar and Rooftop 760. In 2011, became the executive chef of

Restaurant and Lounge in the Throgs Neck section of the Bronx. Chef Garcia recently launched a range of authentic Spanish cookware products called Culinary Habana, and as founder of The Spice Company, he develops spice blends available for wholesale and retail purchase throughout New York City and the Caribbean.

References

External links

Alex García (chef)
at the Chef and Restaurant Database {{DEFAULTSORT:Garcia, Alex Living people Cuban chefs Culinary Institute of America Hyde Park alumni Northeastern University alumni People from Havana American people convicted of money laundering Year of birth missing (living people)