Chef Nery Hernandez - left his native Guatemala in 2000 with the goal of proving himself in America’s high-pressure kitchens. Breaking into the industry in Washington, DC, he ascended from line cook to executive chef at the Georgetown restaurant J. Paul’s.
In 2006, he relocated to Philadelphia and broke into Stephen Starr’s employ as a sous chef at the Continental Midtown. He’d later run the show at Starr’s flagship Continental in Old City before becoming executive chef at the Atlantic City outpost of Buddakan. Currently, Hernandez runs the show at Starr’s stalwart Buddakan in Old City; the globally minded pan-Asian restaurant remains one of the hottest tables in town.
Buddakan - An Old City Shrine to Modern Asian Fare, 325 Chestnut Street, (215) 574-9440, buddakan.com
Philadelphia's Latino Chefs & restaurateurs - Philly's national reputation as a thriving, open-to-all city extends to its flourishing culinary scene, which features a multitude of executive chefs of Latin descent. From nationally renowned luminaries with multiple successful restaurants (Jose Garces, Guillermo Pernot) to upstarts making a solid name for themselves here (Jezabel Careaga, Adan Trinidad, Cristina Martinez), these talented chefs come from all over Latin America, the Caribbean and South America, bringing a highly diverse set of flavors and traditions to the communal table
7 Facts About Philadelphia's Latino Community - Philly honors Hispanic Culture thought the year with food, fun and fiestas. Revelers can catch the Latino spirit at the Mexican Independence Day Festival on Penn’s Landing and the Puerto Rican Day Parade on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.Thought the year, arts and culture lovers have more to look forward to: the such as last years opening of the El Corazon Cultural Center in El Centro de Oro and the North American debut of the exhibition Paint the Revolution: Mexican Modernism, 1910-1950 at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.