An Interview With Martita Mestey
Be prepared for long hours. The day my son was born in Atlanta, I had to work the next day and for the next three weeks straight because Atlanta was hosting the Olympics and it was all hands on deck at the restaurant.
As a part of our series about the lessons from influential ‘TasteMakers’, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Lance Velasquez.
Lance Velasquez is the Executive Chef at Alice B., celebrity chefs Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken’s restaurant in Palm Springs. Lance spent much of his career working in some of northern California’s most prestigious dining venues and has been named a ‘Rising Star Chef’ by Esquire Magazine and a ‘Best New American Chef’ by Food & Wine. Lance prides himself on cooking with high quality ingredients and attention to technique. Lance resides in Palm Springs and when not in the kitchen, he enjoys swinging a kettlebell, exploring the Coachella Valley, and spoiling his dogs Gwen and Penny.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to ‘get to know’ you a bit. Can you share with our readers a story about what inspired you to become a restauranteur or chef?
My inspiration to become a chef started when I was 13 years old. My mother owned a café called Carm’s Café and Deli in Sonoma County where I grew up, and I would help her with kitchen tasks after school and on weekends. I realized that being in the kitchen sparked more joy for me than school was.
Do you have a specific type of food that you focus on? What was it that first drew you to cooking that type of food? Can you share a story about that with us?
It’s hard to pinpoint a specific food that I focus on as I love food of all kinds. I draw from my many years of experience and the different cuisines I’ve cooked. Early in my career I was drawn to food from France, because that was a big part of the curriculum at the culinary school I attended. I worked in Atlanta for a few years and while cooking at 1848 House I learned about southern cuisine and biscuits, in particular. That experience led me to really geek out on biscuit baking, and I have spent time in Alabama baking biscuits alongside Scott Peacock, the G.O.A.T. of biscuit making.
Currently I’m most passionate about Mediterranean cuisine; I love the depth of flavors and appreciate the accessibility to these fresh ingredients in Southern California. Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken are passionate about using the most sustainable and fresh ingredients, so it’s been a pleasure working alongside them to really create a vibrant and seasonal menu at Alice B.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that has happened to you since you became a chef? What was the lesson or take away you took out of that story?
Early in my career when I was sous chef to Gary Danko, and we were traveling to Ann Arbor, Michigan for a charity event. I was responsible for the first course which included pickled beets. I traveled with five, 5-gallon buckets of pickled beets on the plane as checked baggage and when I went to claim the buckets, the pickled brine juice had leaked out all over the place, leaving me with buckets of beets with no brine. Lesson learned: do not travel with liquid!
Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey? How did you overcome this obstacle?
I was fortunate to gain kitchen experience very early in my life, which gave me the confidence needed to work in any kitchen environment. There was one event though, during my early years of cooking when I was a line cook working for a Certified Master Chef in San Francisco. Our kitchen was very small and only had room for the chef, me and a dishwasher. My anxiety was through the roof, trying to impress this chef. I remember there were five different compound butters that garnished every entrée plate; they all looked the same to me and I would often place the wrong butter on the plates and would get yelled at. I worked on staying calm and eventually figured it out, but the experience motivated me to be a better cook. Thanks, Chef Kuntz!
In your experience, what is the key to creating a dish that customers are crazy about?
In my experience, if I am crazy about a dish then I am hoping it will have the same effect on others. For example, I love a good burger. The homemade English muffins that we serve our burger on at Alice B. really make me happy and I think our customers agree. When I create a dish, I consider each component and want to be excited about it, because if I’m not excited about it, they won’t be.
Personally, what is the ‘perfect meal for you’?
For me, it’s not so much about the food that I eat as it is the experience and with whom I’m sharing the meal. A casual home cooked meal with the people I care about most in my life is the perfect meal for me.
Where does your inspiration for creating come from? Is there something that you turn to for a daily creativity boost?
My creative inspiration comes from my experiences traveling and eating in different cities and countries. On a recent trip to London I was inspired by some great meals at Ottolenghi restaurants. For a creativity boost, I look to my wife Marlo for interesting ideas to try. She is often throwing ideas my way, without knowing if it’s possible to pull off in a restaurant setting. That has helped me to expand my horizons a bit, which is refreshing and fun.
Are you working on any new or exciting projects now? What impact do you think this will have?
I just opened Alice B. in Palm Springs with the legendary chef duo, Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken, at Living Out, a one-of-a-kind residential project serving the 55+ LGBTQ community. The restaurant is truly such a special place, it has become a focal point for the residents which has been so meaningful to me and being able to connect with regulars. At the same time, we’re open to the public and I love getting to know the greater Palm Springs community and all the visitors that dine with us.
What advice would you give to other chefs or restaurateurs to thrive and avoid burnout?
Trust your team. Delegate. Keep learning new things within the industry to keep you inspired. And, pursue hobbies outside of the restaurant industry.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Started as a Chef” and why?
- Be prepared for long hours. The day my son was born in Atlanta, I had to work the next day and for the next three weeks straight because Atlanta was hosting the Olympics and it was all hands on deck at the restaurant.
- Try to carve out time during the day for breaks to eat a healthy snack or meal. Driving through Taco Bell at the end of a 12-hour shift will not serve you well.
- Do not worry about trying to please everybody and develop a thick skin when it comes to online restaurant reviews.
- Taste everything all the time. My wife always laughs when I come home from work with many tasting spoons in my apron and pockets.
- Surround yourself with the best team you can. Or cultivate it yourself.
What’s the one dish people have to try if they visit your establishment?
Hands down, it’s our Cheddar Cornmeal Drop Biscuits with cardamom seeded honey. You won’t be disappointed.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
The movement would be simple. Be kind. Be kind to yourself and be kind to others. The restaurant business is hectic and stressful, and you never know what people are going through. We’re all just trying to do the best we can!
Thank you so much for these insights. This was very inspirational!
Lance Velasquez Of Alice B: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became a Chef was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.