Sip & Savor

from RIO MAGAZINE APRIL 2022

Be Entertained

San Antonio’s Top Chefs *Make National TV

By Kimberly A. Suta

Over the past decade or two, cooking and food-focused TV shows have become all the rage. Food Network is now one of the most popular networks, watched in almost 100 million households.

Several of our San Antonio chefs and restaurants have had the esteemed honor of being featured on various TV shows as the Alamo City continues to rise as a top culinary destination. In fact, in 2018, San Antonio was designated a Creative City of Gastronomy by UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, Cultural Organization, which was established after WWII. Here are just a few of our chefs that have made it to the screens in your comfortable living rooms.

CHEF JASON DADY

Chef Jason Dady of the Jason Dady Restaurant Group, which includes Tre Trattoria at the San Antonio Museum of Art, Two Bros. BBQ Market, Alamo BBQ Co., Jardin at the San Antono Botanical Garden and Range is perhaps one of San Antonio’s most renowned chefs. Tre Trattoria, known for their family-style Tuscan Italian fare, has been a neighborhood staple since 2007 and it is fair to say Chef Dady can serve up a phenomenal steak.

He threw down with Bobby Flay on “Beat Bobby Flay” in 2017 and has also been a guest on “A

Moveable Feast with Fine Cooking” and “Man Fire Food,” but perhaps his most illustrious gig was as a competitor on “Iron Chef Gauntlet” in 2017. He may not have taken home the win that night, but he stole the hearts of foodies all across America. “Having been given the unbelievable opportunity to be on ‘Food TV’ was such an amazing and rewarding experience. I loved the competitive nature of the shows, but also the lifelong relationships and friendships I made along the way. My only goal was to really shine a light on San Antonio and our amazing food culture. I loved every second of it and cannot wait to do it again,” he said.

CHEF CEASAR ZEPEDA

Next up, Chef Ceasar Zepeda of Alamo Biscuit Co. and Sangria on the Burg has been on the forefront of the culinary scene for years, always innovating and collaborating with San Antonio’s up-and-coming and established chefs.

Chef Ceasar takes South Texas cuisine and puts his own decadent twist on favorite foods, from pork belly tacos to biscuits and gravy. At Alamo Biscuit Co., he serves up a Smoked Brisket Benny with house-smoked brisket, poached eggs, Cholula hollandaise and queso fresco that will knock your socks off!

Chef Ceasar was a runner up on “Guy’s Grocery Games” in 2019 and recently appeared on Cooking Channel’s show “Food Paradise.” The episode, “Smothered Comfort,” showcased some of Alamo Biscuit Co.’s signature dishes, including that unctuous peppered gravy I mentioned earlier. Fortunately, you can do more than just see it on TV—you can eat a plate of your very own. “For someone who did not go to culinary school and has learned on the job, being on ‘Guy’s Grocery Games’ was just a pinnacle for me. The whole experience was amazing. You are trying to win, but you are also just trying to not cut yourself on TV,” Chef Ceasar joked.

CHEF TIM MCDIARMID

In the Southtown Arts District, Chef Tim McDiarmid, also known as Tim the Girl, of The Good Kind has been serving up often health-minded eats and drinks in the gorgeous garden lounge for years.

A local’s hot spot for happy hour, pop-ups and special events, options range from Asian Cauliflower “Wings” to fish tacos and even a variety of cold-pressed botanical cocktails. Coming up, The Good Kind will be hosting a King William Fair Afterparty, Selena’s Birthday event and an Easter Brunch. Chef Tim hails from rural Canada where she learned to grow her own food and brought that farm-to-table mentality with her to San Antonio when she first opened her catering company in 2011. She is now a James Beard Fellow who was invited to compete on the Food Network’s beloved cooking competition show “Chopped” last year. Although she was, in fact, chopped, she was honored to represent San Antonio. “I was so excited to get the call that I was going to be on ‘Chopped,’ but then COVID hit and everything got put on pause. Nearly a year after being selected, I finally got the chance to be on the show. I had a great time,” she said.

CHEF GERONIMO LOPEZ

Situated at Pearl is Botika, a unique restaurant led by powerhouse Chef Geronimo Lopez that offers ChinesePeruvian and JapanesePeruvian cuisines as well as more traditional Asian and Latin American dishes.

Chef Geronimo is a native of Caracas, Venezuela with vast international experience. He also served as the Executive Chef and Instructor for the Culinary Institute of America in San Antonio for a time. Botika’s bento boxes are a refreshing option for lunch, but hands down, they make the best dumplings I have ever eaten. These little treasures filled with crispy pork and cabbage are bathed in a black tea and sake broth and, guaranteed, one order is not enough.

Chef Geronimo also had the opportunity to compete against three other stellar chefs on “Chopped” last year and previously competed on “Beat Bobby Flay.” He said, “I think it is important for San Antonio to be featured not only as a TexMex city but also as a true culinary destination, with plenty of variety in culinary propositions. San Antonio is a city of migrants, multicultural and tremendously diverse, and we need to show that.”

CHEF NACHO AGUIRRE

Finally, not all our star chefs run restaurants. Nacho Aguirre and his wife, Susana Mijares, operate a bakery and chocolate shop called Delice Chocolatier & Patisserie, located in the northeast Stone Oak area. They opened their first bakery in Mexico in 1989. Fourteen years ago, they decided to take a leap of faith and left everything to start a new life in San Antonio. After 11 years here, it is safe to say they have made a name for themselves.

Chef Nacho was the winner of Food Network’s “Spring Baking Championship” show, Season 4, in 2018 and Susana was a runner up on the same show for Season 2. Since then, Aguirre has been a judge on numerous baking competition shows, including “Candyland,” “Cupcake Championship,” “Big Time Bake” and more. “I feel very grateful to be able to represent my heritage and my city. One thing that makes San Antonio great is it is the perfect fusion of American and Latin cultures coming together to create a fun-loving, warm space for everyone to experience,” he shared.

If you want a taste, try Delice’s beautiful French macarons, Belgian chocolate bon bons or the dark truffle cake, which comes in a personal size, along with 16 other flavors—simply the best way to celebrate any or every occasion.

If you are still looking to explore some of San Antonio’s hot spots, I recommend checking out Dough Pizzeria, Dignowity Meats, Bun & Barrel, Ma Harper’s Creole Kitchen, Smoke Shack, Taco Taco Cafe, La Panaderia Bakery Café and The Cove, which have all been featured on Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.”