Where did you grow up, and where have you traveled to that has helped inspire and shape your cooking philosophy?
I grew up in Puerto Rico and spent my childhood in Utuado, before coming to San Juan. After my 20th birthday, I moved around, including New York, San Sebastian (Spain), San Francisco, Barcelona, and Copenhagen. My cooking philosophy comes from all my mentors including Sylvain Portay, Alain Ducasse, Christian Delouvrier, Dan Barber, Rene Redzepi, and my childhood memories with my grandmother living in the countryside.