Counter Intelligence: Portrait of Venezuelan chef Lorena Garcia is unveiled at The Venetian
Hot off the grill!
Venezuelan superstar chef Lorena Garcia promises that her new Latin American restaurant Chica will open at The Venetian in early May. Lorena made the prediction today moments after she became the first female chef to debut on the 21-foot-tall Chef Wall at The Venetian — and the first Latina chef overlooking the Strip.
“To be the first woman … it means so much,” she told me shortly after the ceremony. “I am super grateful to be the first but hopefully not the last. It has been a male-dominated profession because it is tough work in the kitchen. I couldn’t be more blessed with this honor, and it’s a real joy and privilege to join Giada de Laurentiis overlooking the famous Strip.
“She’s, Italian but I’m the first from Latin America.” Lorena says that “no matter where you are from, you will identify with her Latin American cuisine.” She continued: “You’re going to love my famous chicken recipe. We’ll have everything from little tapas and delicious salads, with food sourced in Central America.
“I’m making my own butter to use on the meat and fish we’ll cook on the grill. We have a beautiful kitchen for hot and cold foods and, yes, even from Venezuela. It’s everything south of the border, including Argentina, Peru and Brazil.
“The restaurant will have a huge chopping block right in its center, and our wine list will be vineyards throughout South America. They are all women winemakers! Our food is full of contrasts, colors and cultures and very exciting, as it has never been seen or cooked on the Strip before.
“I realize that the appeal of Mexican cuisine has faded because it has become such an international food now. I’m convinced, though, that people will be very open to the new flavors of Latin America’s cuisines. In my experience, we all become one when we’re eating at the table together. It’s a diverse menu but with all the flavors of Latin American cuisine as one culture.
“Our influences are from Peru, Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina and Mexico. People are open now to different foods and different techniques, and they will identify with the sentiments and feelings I put into my cooking.”
Lorena told me that she’ll have her favorite dish on the menu: “Arepas — it’s our soul food,” she laughed. “They come as patties that you can grill, boil, steam, bake or fry.” Arepas are made from ground maize dough or cooked flour and served with cheese, avocado and more. The patties can be split to make sandwiches with meat, eggs, tomatoes, cheese, shrimp or fish.
If you’ve traveled to Miami, you know Lorena from her successful venues in The Design District: Elements Tierra and Food Cafe, plus The Culinary Loft private event space. She also has outlets in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Atlanta and Miami international airports.
She has competed on Bravo’s “Top Chef Masters” and appeared on NBC for two seasons of “Food Fighters” and The Food Network. In addition to two cookbooks, Lorena has her own cookware line at HSN. Chica is in partnership with the neighboring Yardbird at The Venetian in the former space of Daniel Boulud’s DB Brasserie that he closed in January.
Lorena, who is a major TV personality south of the border and Venezuela’s leading chef with her own books, TV series and chain of restaurants, said: “We’re already under construction. We’re confident of an early May opening.”
