Paul Trujillo has moved on down the road from the Lumberyard’s Ten Tables to the upscale Paradiso Restaurant at Mongoose Junction. One difference is that he now has four people helping him in the kitchen. At his former operation, in Chilly Billy’s space, he had one or two.
But it’s Paradiso’s menu where Trujillo hopes to see the biggest difference. He’s working on the new menu by becoming familiar with vendors’ offerings of fresh meats and fish, vegetables, and fruits. Among menu changes changes, he hopes to add a rack of lamb.
Trujillo has been on island about five years, having worked also at Asolare and Chateau Bordeau. After those slots, he spent three months doing "gourmet deli" at Simple Feast. "That was the end of it," he said. "I’m not cut out for that. I need my own kitchen." But because there were no chef openings on island, he did landscaping work for eight months. "That was the best thing I could do to reset my mind and my enthusiasm."
Now, he’s back in the business and talking about it in a special two-part podcast. In this first segment, Trujillo talks about his new menu, the challenge of running an upscale restaurant kitchen on island and how sometimes the customer is not always right. Trujillo also reveals where he goes for lunch when he wants good food. Paradiso’s Web site is http://www.stjohnrestaurants.com/paradiso.htm.
Listen to the first part of our conversation with Paul Trujillo.
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