She may be young by chefs’ standards (30), but Tristan Simon feels confident that Anastacia “AQ” Quiñones is ready to helm the ship at Henderson Avenue’s favorite regional Mexican watering hole. Today, Alma rolls out a totally tweaked menu, with AQ’s touches on nearly every dish, from the watermelon in the street corn snacks to the chicken in the chiles rellenos.
With the departure of Michael Brown, Simon moved Quiñones into the spot, telling her, “You were born to be an executive chef.” To which she humbly replied, “I was born to be a cook.” She comes by her humility honestly: she worked her way through CIA, perfected her craft at Jardinière in San Francisco, but more than these, her modesty stems from a family-centered youth spent in Dallas, on Henderson Avenue specifically, and a respect for the heritage passed down from mother to daughter. (Check out the part in the interview below when she talks about her mother learning to cook for her Highland Park employer by watching Sesame Street.)
jump for some more eye candy and the video……
