Yes, Chef! Savoring Fine Dining

The luxury of fine dining is being made accessible to households across the Borderland as one chef creates culinary masterpieces from El Pasoans’ kitchens.

Chef Gabe Onsurez is a personal chef, traveler, and dad to two bulldogs (one English, one French) whose technical expertise are matched only by his love of art. Onsurez is a multi instrumentalist musician whose love of performance led to a career in the kitchen.

While he wasn’t passionate about school, Onsurez says he loved coming home from classes to cook dinner for his sister and brother-in-law, then realized “cooking was fun for me and a natural ability. “

He made a tray of sugar cookies for his nephew’s birthday that caught the eye of the neighbor.

He dropped out of UTEP and moved to Scottsdale for culinary school, an education and experience he describes as intense as it was exhilarating.

“At the time, I only cooked for my family at home. I grew up around food, my mom and dad were both very good cooks and I would

Onsurez returned home in 2005 and was later offered a live-in position as a personal chef for a local family.

“They liked to be surprised, every day, with dinner especially. That was fun for me because I could go to the grocery store and see what looked good and ask, ‘What do I feel like making today?’ That’s when I really got the opportunity to expand with different cuisines, ingredients, and wine pairings,” he says.

Onsurez cooks organic and seasonal for clients and loves preparing Asianinspired dishes.

“I love all the flavors and I love that you can make it pretty healthy,” he says. “Personally, I love Indian food and to eat in bowls because it’s just fun to me. It’s comforting for me.”

Growing up, his family would gather for menudo eaten with lemons -- not limes -- and saltine crackers, a simple culinary tradition that laid the foundation for his appreciation for dining experiences and sharing food with others.

“I don’t need a lot of praise or compliments,” says Onsurez. “But when I’m cooking for someone, they’re tasting the food, thinking about it, and really taking it in. Then, they’re quiet for 10 to 15 seconds and I hear them say ‘mmm’ or ‘that was good’ is what I love. It inspires me.”

Onsurez’s schedule is pretty steady, with dedicated clients Monday through Thursday and dinner parties or other private events on the weekends.

“I would do dinner parties every day if I could, it’s what I love to do. I’d do a minimum of three to five courses for 12 people or less,” he shares.

As El Paso’s culinary scene expands, Onsurez is looking forward to exploring new tastes while savoring the success of his peers.

“There’s more to El Paso than Mexican food. I love our Mexican food -- don’t get me wrong,” he says. “It makes me very happy and proud to have fusion restaurants and fancy gourmet restaurants, lots of Asian restaurants, and more diversity. It’s fun to watch friends and colleagues open up their own restaurants then watch them succeed.”

El Paso’s leading ladies were feted at The Melting Pot to celebrate the women’s issue of The City Magazine, with a special appearance from Horacio Gutierrez Jr. of the April issue.

Lovers of aerospace and automobiles

gathered at the War Eagles Air Museum in Santa Teresa to appreciate luxury cars and trucks at the Spotted: El Paso 2023 High End Car Show that featured dozens of foreign and domestic vehicles and many Instagram-worthy moments.