Meet Chef Rosie

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Owner of Provecho Grill & Xicana

Hola Amigos! I’m Chef Rosie– restaurateur, single mother, free spirit and avid storyteller who loves to share my passion for travel, food, and cocktails. I’m a born and raised South California girl, but my heart will always have a place in Mexico.

In my cooking, I blend together the food cultures I’ve come to love…California cuisine and Mexican gastronomy.  The fusion of these two unique flavor profiles have become a cuisine all their own, which I and many chefs lovingly refer to as Cali-Mex cuisine.

My family has owned restaurants for close to 40 years, so cooking is in my DNA.  It’s something I’ve always loved to do. I’ve had the restaurant bug for a long time.  

When I was sixteen, I had my son, and we used to dream about starting up a little place to call our own one day. Opening Provecho Grill with him has been a dream come true for both of us.  So, I guess you can say that Mexican food has made a big impact in our lives.

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It’s connected me to my family, allowed me to do so many great things in my community, and helped pave the way to achieving my dreams.  I’ve owned Provecho Grill for 7 amazing years and I can’t wait to see where it goes from here.

Here on the blog, I’m sharing the recipes that my father shared with me and my own recipes that I’ve developed over my years as a chef.  Some of these recipes are staples on my menus at my restaurants Provecho Grill and Xicana.

You’ll also hear about my travels to Mexico.  I travel to Mexico often in search of food inspiration and to connect with its amazing culture and people.  I often visit the restaurants of other chefs and like to get into their heads and see things through their eyes.  

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Sometimes I share their stories and recipes here on the blog because I believe that we all have something to learn from each other.  The mind of a chef is an amazing thing. What makes us tick? What inspires us? In the end, for many chefs, we just want you to love our food.

Residing in the heart of Temecula, I write a column for Honey Comb Media about travel, stories from my childhood and cocktails as Happiest Hour with Rosie.

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My crazy competitive edge landed me in the So Cal Chef Open in 2015. This spectacular event features chefs from the most prominent local wineries, casinos, and restaurants who come together to compete in creating their most delicious masterpieces.

For the first time in SoCal Chef Open history, one chef was decorated with both awards. The judging chefs and over 600 in attendance honored me with the Pinnacle Award and People’s Choice Award.

Recently, they invited me back to appear as a celebrity chef panelist at the 12th Annual So-Cal Chef Open at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Menifee, California.

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In 2017, I appeared in the first season of Farmer’s Market Flip as The Spicy Latinas along with Xiomara Hall on the Cooking Channel. The pilot didn’t quite make it to the next season but left me hungry to continue my adventures on television.

In 2018, the Harris Casino in Funner, California held a cooking competition with Hell’s Kitchen contestants. I was asked to compete and support the event. The competition challenged me, feeding over 400 VIP members in attendance. My reasoning for wanting to compete was to use all the equipment offered in the hotel and to my surprise, I won with a Sous Vide Pork Cheek Peruvian-Inspired Taco on a homemade tortilla.

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Competing on Food Network

I am extremely proud to announce that I recently competed in Food Network’s NEW competitive cooking series, Supermarket Stakeout alongside the show’s talented host, Iron Chef, and Chopped judge Alex Guarnaschelli.

My episode aired on Tuesday, September 17, 2019. I invite you to watch and support the series! You can watch on Food Network or purchase the series and watch online.

Where to watch: Amazon | YouTube | Hulu | Vudu

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Cooking for Former President, Vincente Fox

In 2019, I was honored to participate in The Chef Latinos Guanajuato Festival Gastronomico and have former president, Vicente Fox, taste my food during an event in his hometown. The event featured 18 standout chefs from across Latin America and California, including myself. It was the experience of a lifetime and I am beyond grateful to have been a part of it.

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I hope that my blog inspires you and motivates you to eat and travel a little more in your life. Live your life one taco a time. I can’t wait to share more stories and adventures with you. Provecho!

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