happy. thirty-four. dominican. fucking proud of his place.

Chef Luis in one word is — incredible. There are very few people I meet where I feel inspired by them from a brief conversation, but Luis is actually one of the reasons I began seeking out chef’s stories. My friends and I visited LaGana for lunch a couple months ago after seeing an Instagram Reel posted by @raleating. The food blew us away, but Luis is the reason why I go back to LaGana. From one conversation, I could feel how kind, passionate and driven he was. Curious about his story, I reached out to interview him and I had no idea the stories I was about to hear.

While Luis was telling me his story, I was on the edge of my seat. I was entranced by the twists and turns, by every little detail he would casually mention. Things like: “I did my PhD in Brazil,” “I started out doing this gig where I would cook and help boyfriends who couldn’t cook and let them present the food,” “There were 5,200 people participating in MasterChef, I placed fourth,” or about him winning first place against chefs with fancy fountain displays with a simple croquette and a small table. And then there’s the fact that he loves fútbol so much, he became a professional player for a year.

Luis has lived so many different lives. In his thirty-four years, he’s been a professional fútbol player, a dentist, a PhD graduate, a MasterChef competitor, and so much more. But beyond his professional titles, I learned that Luis is a first-generation immigrant who left a country he loves to build his life in America, a ride-or-die friend, a wonderful son who loves his mom’s pork ribs, the brother who cooks, and someone who has never let anyone else—or himself—stop him from doing what he wants.

Luis is one of those people who remind you that humans are incredible and can do so much more than we allow ourselves.

The reason for his limitlessness, I believe, is that he is deeply in touch with what drives him. Not once did it feel like he pursued any of these achievements for money, power, or even bragging rights. He does things simply because he wants to. Even when it’s hard. When I asked him how he kept going throughout his entire journey, especially when things are rough, he told me:

“I try to look back sometimes to see where I was before, and that inspires me to keep going. I’m really stubborn with the things I want but I promised myself that I wouldn’t lose the humanity part. I don’t want to lose that. I will keep going as long as my heart continues in that route. If I ever feel that I’m losing the human part of it — the love, the care, the passion for what I have or what I do — I will stop. And I hope that never happens.”

He leads with his heart. Which means he is always cooking with love.

NOW TO DISCUSS THE FOOD:

Actually, I’m going to pull from the interview for this too. I asked Luis who his favorite person to feed is, and he told me it’s actually a stranger. He then said something that I think is the reason why his food is so amazing:

“its beautiful that people come in here, sometimes with a lot a things like baggage. Maybe they’re mad or sad, or happy or don’t know what’s coming. But then they sit down here and you can see the transition of people after they try the food, and that’s what drives me. It gives me shivers.”

Food cooked by someone who cares that much can only be amazing. And spoiler: it is.

I got THE BRADFORD BURGER which is thick wagyu beef, bleu cheese and arugula. Holy shit. It was one of the best burgers of my entire life. I took my time with it because I knew once it was gone, I would be wishing I was still eating it. I mean just look at it:

I also had their YUKA FRIES that were fried PERFECTLY and then seasoned with sofrito powder that took it to a level I have never experienced before. 10/10 dipped in ketchup, but then I was handed house-made (basically everything in there is made in house) CHILI OIL. I almost lost my mind. I had to stop myself from licking the bowl clean.

To be balanced, I also got the BOKOBOKO SALAD which had spiraled cucumber, cashews and felt it had a Thai-inspiration to it. It brought a brightness and nice bite to the meal. I will 1000% be trying to recreate the salad at home.

Chef Luis and his wonderful, hardworking team and partners are the reasons why right at dinner opening, it was almost immediately a full house. There is heart and passion in LaGana. There is a complexity and depth in flavors. Chef Luis told me that as a chef, he likes that he makes everything simple. And now I can attest that he does. He makes everything simply good.

Here is one of my favorite blurbs from the interview:

“I bumped my head a lot. I argued with people I shouldn’t. I did stupid shit, but I’m grateful that all those little details forced me to be who I am right now. I think I am better than what I was before, and that I’m continuing to grow, and I’m still aiming to be the person I want to be in every aspect of my life.”

Thank you, Luis. Thank you for being so open and honest about your story with me. Thank you for your kind words and belief in my own project and life. Thank you for sharing your culinary skills with the world. Thank you for being a true representation of the word LAGANA, just doing what you want.