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Executive Chef Raul Arreola.
From a quaint food stand in Mexico to Executive Chef of one of Chicagoland’s newest and highly anticipated restaurants, Raoul Arreola has an impressive career history. Having grown up in with a large family in Mexico City, Chef Arreola began helping his mother, a phenomenal cook, in the kitchen at age 10. His grandparents owned a nearby pozoleria, a small stand selling Mexican quesadillas and tacos, where he frequently helped with food preparation as well. Arreola moved to Chicago in the early 1980’s and began as a dishwasher at Frontera grill, quickly working his way up before starting as Sous Chef at Tobolobampo in 1995 where he remained for six years.
He cites famed Chef Rick Bayless as one of his biggest inspirations, as well as his reason for furthering his education at Washburne Culinary School. Arreola and Bayless worked together extensively and learned from each other, with many of Chef Arreola’s recipes remaining on the menu today. After Tobolobampo he moved to Sous Chef at Platiyo before opening his own Mexican seafood restaurant, Fonda del Mar, in 2005. He remained an owner and Executive Chef until 2007 before opening Mixteco Grill in 2008. Now the Executive Chef of the newly opened Fat Rosie’s, Arreola brings his extensive knowledge of Mexican cuisine, particularly Oaxacan recipes, to restaurateur Scott Harris’ wildly successful group of establishments. |
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