West Culinary Director
gustavo vega
I’m Gustavo Vega, the West Culinary Director.
I live in Pasadena, California.
My favorite thing about being a chef is getting to transform any product from Mother Earth into a beautiful dish.
The best food tip I can give is while making cinnamon rolls, cut them with a piece of string.
Vocabulary pasta is my favorite pasta shape.
If I could only eat one dessert for the rest of my life, I’d choose profiteroles because it’s the only dough you cook twice and fill them with anything - ice cream, cream Chantilly, caramel. And the highlight? You dust them with powdered sugar or cocoa.

Pastries are my guilty pleasure.
Fresh thyme is my favorite ingredient.
I can’t live without my custom made chef knife.
When I’m not teaching, I’m teaching youngsters how to embrace the culinary world.
The highlight of my career is getting to be a chef and travel the world. I was nominated chef of the year for Sodexo North America and I was in pastry competitions in Switzerland, Italy, Germany, and Austria.
When I was a kid, I wanted to be an Air Force pilot.
My first food memory is my mom’s homemade tortillas.