How Heritage Plays an Important Role in This Self-Trained Puerto Rican Chef's Cuisine

I had one of the best conversations of the LIVE! Culinary Series last week when I chatted with chef Roberto Perez of Urban Pilon. A self-trained culinary artist who is also a talented percussionist, vocalist and historian, Perez is passionate about Afro-Latino culture. His venture into cooking began simply as a means to eat healthier.

“More than 10 years ago, I was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver because of a workout supplement that I was taking,” says Perez during our conversation. “It was a time where I really felt that I needed to convert my diet. I had to change what I was doing and eat naturally. … I decided that from then on that I wasn’t going to mess with any more synthetics.”

He continues, describing how he wanted to share his newfound passion with others. “I’m also a cultural worker, so I felt it really important that this would be taught to my community. This could also be something I could teach kids, something that I could talk about with them.”

Perez’s travels throughout Puerto Rico, the Caribbean and Mexico further inspired him to combine his love for music with his appetite for Afro-Latin cuisine. He had long believed that comprehensive menus of this type of cuisine were long missing from Chicago’s restaurants. A trip to Veracruz, Mexico, introduced him to a market where people were enjoying music and food as a community.

“It reminded me of a market in the Caribbean,” says Perez, “just in the way that people talk, and the way people eat, and the music. I saw that they always have music and food together with the family. In Chicago, I felt like that was a need.”

During our discussion, he also talked about the importance of not just nourishing his community with good, hearty fare, but also about heart healthy seasonings. Black and brown communities tend to have more cases of high blood pressure than other communities, so he developed a signature spice under the Urban Pilon name as a solution.

“[I created this product] because I was sick,” he states candidly. “We tend to support and buy and consume a lot of the stuff that can be bad for us. I wanted to give a good alternative for the community.”

He teamed up with La Criolla Products, which has been around since the 1950s, to create this original spice blend that includes tumeric, ginger, cumin, pepper, achiote, among other spices. It’s been selling like hot cakes at independently owned Chicago grocery stores on the Northwest Side.

This is another great way chefs are expanding their brands. It’s not just about being in the kitchen anymore to make an impact—and a few extra dollars.

See the interview in its entirety right here.