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Meet the Staff: Restaurants - Rick Bayless | Frontera
Richard James
Chef – Frontera Grill
Richard joined the Frontera family in 1993. He is originally from Chicago.
What natural gift would you most like to possess?
I want knees that don’t age… so I can dance when I need to.
What is your most embarrassing moment working at Frontera?
The wood fire in my grill going out during the first seating in Frontera ten years ago. Everything is cooked on that grill.
What is your most rewarding?
Two things: First getting promoted to Sous Chef, then to Chef.
What are the five pantry items you cannot live without?
Bread, rice, beans, bacon (pork in general), Miracle Whip.
What is your favorite food word or sound?
The guys on the Frontera line laughing and joking even when they are in the weeds.
What is your least favorite food word or sound?
The sound of glass breaking on the line.
Which of Oaxaca’s moles best captures your personality?
Manchamanteles (an almond-thickened red mole with fruit and chorizo) because its big and bold in chile flavor, with that sweetness of the fruit shining through. And also... because I've been known to stain a few tableclothes.
If you could have one, and only one, indulgent beverage - wine, tequila, or coffee - which would it be?
Tequila.
What are your indulgence foods, the stuff you can’t say no to?
BBQ, foie, risotto, fried chicken, pork chops, Paydays, bacon, ham…
What was your most horrible meal?
The “Ketchup Meal” at a restaurant in Michoacan on one of our staff trips. Seemed like every course had ketchup in it. In Mexico! Really!
When did you know the restaurant world was for you? What is the moment you decided you needed to be in this environment?
After I had been working in the industry… for like six years. I just thought, “I could make a life out of this.”
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