‘American dream’: Charlotte chef who started as a dishwasher brings family recipes to the table

CHARLOTTE, N.C. ( QUEEN CITY NEWS ) – Many dream of being a chef.

When Omar Garcia immigrated from Mexico to the US, the idea of becoming a chef was beyond his wildest dreams.

At 19, he was willing to take any job he could find. His first restaurant gig in 2009 was as a dishwasher, so cooking wasn’t exactly on his radar.

“Honestly, I did not [consider being a chef], because my English was so bad, like horrible,” Garcia told Queen City News. “But I started learning more of the language, I started being more in the kitchen and that’s how everything started.”

Garcia learned the ropes in Charlotte kitchens and is now executive chef at Maiz Agua Sal in Lower Tuck.

His story is an empowering recipe for an American success story.

At MAS, a machine churns out the foundation for many great Mexican dishes.

“Every morning we make fresh tortillas,” he says.“This machine actually comes from Mexico City.”

Beyond the equipment, it’s nostalgia that fuels his vision. His daily mission is to deliver the vibrant flavors he grew up with in central Mexico City to customers.

“Good memories, like when you were sitting at the family table on Sundays with your grandma, you’re uncles, and your cousins and they cook a meal for everybody,” said Garcia.

His favorites range from huevos rancheros to classic tacos. He also makes chiles en nogada, a stuffed poblano chile with a walnut cream sauce served in September to celebrate Mexico’s Independence Day.

Garcia’s career path was surprising to his family back home in Mexico because he was hardly in the kitchen.

“ Well, first thing they think ‘No way, like, how are you cooking you’ve never been involved.’ I learned by looking, by watching them,” he says.

At Maiz Agua Sal, he collaborates with his wife Janet, who also works in the kitchen.

“So, she’s like, ‘Oh let’s do this, let’s try this.’ So, she brings the ideas and I put it together with the technique and here we are,” Chef Garcia explained.

Janet’s family mole negro sauce recipe gives him an authentic flavor bomb made with ingredients like chocolate, peppers, and banana. That sauce is the star of his enmoladas de pollo.

“It is my way to show where I came from and my family, all the recipes we have from my grandmother, my wife’s family,” he says.

Garcia has come a long way since his dishwasher days, learning a lot about himself in the past 15 years.

Today, he hopes his story will light a fire under others. Because no matter what your job title is, he says, you should keep asking questions and keep learning.

That’s done wonders for him.

“And I say that I’m living the American dream,” said Chef Garcia.

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