Award-winning Venezuelan chef Adriana Urbina shares her inspiring story about immigrating to the states to pursue her passion for holistic nutrition.
Award-winning Venezuelan chef Adriana Urbina shares her inspiring story about immigrating to the states to pursue her passion for holistic nutrition. She explains the influence her home has on the flavors and textures she incorporates in her recipes and gives fans a taste of traditional Venezuelan dishes. Adriana shares her favorite memories from traveling to and cooking in France, Spain and Venezuela, comparing the unique cuisines and atmospheres of each. Determined to positively impact the world using her craft, she opens up about how she uses different ingredients and recipes to make people feel happy, creative and inspired. Adriana talks about how she launched her pop-up eatery and the female and minority empowering organization, Tepuy Collective. Now a three-time Chopped champion, she shares how her first televised competition drastically changed her approach to cooking and the winning strategy she developed along the way. Adriana shares what made her arepas dish on Crack an Egg With so special and who sparked her passion for cooking to begin with. Finally she dishes on her favorite foods and where her travel plans will take her next.
Find episode transcripts here: https://food-network-obsessed.simplecast.com/episodes/adriana-urbina-brings-happiness-to-others-through-holistic-food
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Check Out Adriana Urbina’s Website: https://www.adrianaurbina.com/
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Learn More About Chopped: https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/chopped
Learn More About Bobby’s Triple Threat: https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/bobbys-triple-threat
Learn More About Crack an Egg With: https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/crack-an-egg-with
Jaymee Sire:
Hello, hello and welcome to Food Network Obsessed. This is the podcast where we dish on all things food with your favorite chefs, food influencers, and food network stars. I'm your host, Jaymee Sire, and today we have a chef who has made a name for herself with her unique take on Venezuelan cuisine and her commitment to using locally sourced seasonal ingredients. She is a chef, restaurateur, and three time winner of Chopped it's chef Adriana Urbina. Adriana, welcome to the podcast Bien Venita. You are currently in Spain, one of my favorite countries, and I know it's very near and dear to your heart as well. How does traveling inspire your work as a chef?
Adriana Urbina:
Wow. Well, thank you for having me. I'm very, very excited to be here. And yeah, I mean, traveling has been one of the most important parts of me, like, of my creative part as being a chef, I feel like all my food, it's inspired in mostly Venezuelan flavors and flavors that I grew up eating. Flavors that remind me and my, I don't know, at home, my family, my friends, but also like moving to New York, for example, was very important for me because I, I spend there the most important years of my life, 10 years. So I feel like that reflects into my, into my food.
Jaymee Sire:
Yeah. And I, I feel like this is the perfect time of year to chat with you as it is starting to warm up a little bit, especially in New York. Your culinary style is fresh, very nutritious, as you just mentioned, layered in Latin American flavors. At what step in your chef journey did it become important to you to really broaden your knowledge with studies in holistic nutrition and also gut health?
Adriana Urbina:
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, I, my dad was a vegetarian for, for a long period of time. So I grew up eating a lot of vegetables, like eating in like a very healthy way without knowing. So I was very into, since I was little, very into getting to know more about nutritious food and like creating with a lot of vegetables, a lot of food waste, like what could, could I do with like leftovers? That was my, my favorite thing to do. So, so yeah, I always wanted to do that, but then I decided to, to work at a restaurant and go to culinary school and, and I didn't have time or the money to do it, to go to like study nutrition or holistic nutrition. And then when the pandemic hit, I was like, wow, maybe this is the time finally to, to do it. And that's when I, when I did it like two years ago.
Jaymee Sire:
What sort of things did you learn throughout that process?
Adriana Urbina:
So many things. I love this type of, like the holistic type of nutrition because it's, they talk about not only the food that is on your plate, but also the food that is outside the plate, like joy, creativity, like being with friends like that they talk about. That's also something that fills your heart, and I love that. And yeah, I, I like the way that the approach of not being extreme, that it's not a diet, like the most important thing for them is to, that you learn the, how you can heal through food and how can you, like, through food, you can help so many people, right? So I love to combine both of those things in my food, like beautiful plates, beautiful plating, but also nurturing, delicious that you feel, you know, recharged and full of energy,
Jaymee Sire:
Do you feel like Venezuelan food in general lends itself very well to this, you know, holistic approach to food that you're taking now?
Adriana Urbina:
Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Venezuela, we're very fortunate that we have beautiful weather all year around, so we have a lot of tropical fruit, vegetables, a lot of fresh ingredients, so, so that helps a lot too, to, to do this type of cuisine.
Jaymee Sire:
Mm-hmm for, for those that maybe haven't had the opportunity yet to try Venezuelan food, what are some of the hallmarks of this cuisine?
Adriana Urbina:
Well, we have the, well, it's a lot of sweet and sour flavors. It's not spicy. A lot of people ask me, because it's Latin America, they think it's very spicy. Only one region in Venezuela, they eat a little bit spicy. But in general, it is sweet, sour, lots of herbs, lots of vegetables and fruits. And we also have a lot of fried food, which is delicious. So we have both.
Jaymee Sire:
The best of both worlds, I guess. Right?
Adriana Urbina:
Exactly. Exactly.
Jaymee Sire:
Well, you've, you've trained and worked all around the world, including Venezuelan, also France. How would you describe the difference in approach to food and cooking in France versus where you grew up in, in Venezuela?
Adriana Urbina:
Wow, so different because I, I, I was lucky enough to work in three different, total different kitchens in Spain, in France, and then in Venezuela. And the three countries operate totally different, like, uh, French people, because I think now things are very different. I went to a very classic French cuisine, so it's very organized, square minded. They love to use their techniques. They have like, like a high appreciation for produce. It was very beautiful to learn from, from that system. And Venezuela is more laid back, more tropical vibes. Um, yeah, yeah, yeah. Totally different. But I feel like having both and also Spanish cuisine, that it's, it has that structure as well, very similar to the French cuisines, but they have the molecular cuisine part, which is super interesting. So having those three, being able to see those three different types of kitchens really gave me a beautiful view in how do I want her to express myself as a chef.
Jaymee Sire:
Which was your favorite?
Adriana Urbina:
I think, uh, that's such a tough. Yeah. Yeah. But I feel like Spanish was one of my favorites. It's, it was so interesting, so difficult that their point of view, well, in that time, right, that they were doing like a lot the time that I worked in mission stars there, they were doing a lot of, a lot of molecular cuisine. So that was very interesting.
Jaymee Sire:
Mm-hmm. And as you mentioned, you, you kind of grew up with this, this interest in food and cooking, but as I understand it, it was a, a trip to Paris at age 12 that really made you, you know, fall in love and want to pursue this as a career. Can you share maybe any, you know, vibrant food memories and experiences you had there during your time as a kid?
Adriana Urbina:
Yes. I feel like that trip was an, an before and after, right, like, I, it was crazy. I went to a little town called Aix-en-Provence. And, and I remember that I, everything, everything fries with, um, mustard, spicy mustard. That was like, that blew my, my, my mind, like all different cheeses, the bread, the, the taste of the butter and, and all of the dairy products were so different. I don't know everything. I'm just like salivating right now just of the thought of.
Jaymee Sire:
No, the, the butter. I love the, I love that you said the butter, I mean the French butter is, is like unlike anything else you can find anywhere. What is it about, like, why is it so good?
Adriana Urbina:
I don't know. The cows, the, the, the, the way that they feed them, but is, is so good.
Jaymee Sire:
They're, they're happy cows cuz they're hanging out in France, I guess. Right.
Adriana Urbina:
Definitely, definitely.
Jaymee Sire:
What you said it was kind of before and after, so after that trip, you know, what changed? A, as far as like your point of view and your mindset in terms of like what you wanted to do for the rest of your life?
Adriana Urbina:
Well, it was the, the, the, my palette, it was like, it, it opened, it was all these different flavors, layers, textures, like all these things. And also like the appreciation that they have for food. Like, they respect food so much. It's such a, I don't know, it was like this thing that I've never seen in my life, like how, how proud they are. Of their, what they do. And I was like, wow, I want, I wanna, I'm feeling something inside of me that I've never felt and, and this is so beautiful. I wanna make it part of my, my world. So, so yeah.
Jaymee Sire:
And you've done exactly that. And I know you moved to the states about 10 years ago to asylum in the midst of a lot of poli political tension in Venezuela. What is the last decade as an immigrant chef looked like for you?
Adriana Urbina:
Wow. It, it has been a crazy ride for me. I was, I remember it very like, not sad at all. I mean, it was a very tough decision for me to leave my family and, and just think about like, okay, I have to make it, you know, like I, but also on the other hand, going through that gave me like, I was, I feel like I was more positive. Hmm. I was more appreciative of things, everything. Like, each opportunity for me was like my, the opportunity of my life, you know? Yeah. And I feel like that gave me that push to, to wanting to get better, to wanting to improve my English, improve the way I cooked. Like, I don't know, I feel like it was a very tough experience, but at the same time it was perfect exactly what I needed it to really push. In my career. Yeah.
Jaymee Sire:
What, what was the most challenging part about that move initially for you?
Adriana Urbina:
Eh, being apart from my family, feeling like an outsider. My English, I always say this, like, it was very hard to feeling that you had a knowledge in food and then not being able to express it.That was very tough. Um, but, but yeah, as I said before, that, that was my driving force to, to improve no, every day.
Jaymee Sire:
What, what advice would you give to someone in a similar situation?
Adriana Urbina:
Well, never give up, but also find support, find community even like, if it's just one person that you can call, you know, that, that can, someone that lifts you up. I feel like it's very important to have, because it's very tough to be away from your family and, and all of these things. And if you have just only one person that believes in you and pushes you and I don't know, that can go a long way.
Jaymee Sire:
Who was that person for you?
Adriana Urbina:
My sister and her husband for sure.
Jaymee Sire:
And they were already, they were already here.
Adriana Urbina:
Yeah. Yeah. She was the only family member that I had, but she was like my rock.
Jaymee Sire:
How did that, you know, lived experience really shape your approach to food and using your platform to elevate issues that you're passionate about?
Adriana Urbina:
Yeah, well I was, when I first moved to, to New York, I was working at a lot of Michelin star restaurants because that, that was my goal to be a Michelin star restaurant chef. And then I started realizing that I felt like very empty inside. Like I, I wanted to cook my food, you know, I wanted to have that feeling again of family flavors, everything. So I started thinking about ways that I could do that and, and that's when I started, decided to start my pop-up dinners. And also at that time, Venezuela was going through a very tough time and I wanted to help through food, right? Like bring people together through food and then talk about the issues that were happening in Venezuela, how, you know, all the beautiful things that we had and, and make the food the connector. So, so yeah, I was just excited to share our culture, our food, and, and see just people happy.
Jaymee Sire:
Yeah.
Adriana Urbina:
Yeah.
Jaymee Sire:
And, and I know you founded Tepuy Collective as a way to really help other women in sim similar situations. Why is that so important to you to kind of, you know, pay it forward a little bit?
Adriana Urbina:
Well, it was very, it was a very lonely journey for me when I moved. So I really was craving that, you know, like talking to other women that were, were going through the same thing or how can I expand my network and, and all of these things. So now after I did the first show Chopped, that opened so many doors for me. I really wanted to use those opportunities also to bring other women to the mix, right? To, to also highlight their, their work. Cuz I know how hard it is. So that's what, when I decided to start to buoy, to start building this community and create work opportunities as much as I could. So, yeah.
Jaymee Sire:
And what's been the, what's been the feedback so far from other women?
Adriana Urbina:
Amazing. It now we have a great community and, and it's super fun to work with other women that are also passionate and, and love what they do. I I always wanna learn from other people. I feel like it's the only way that you can grow as a, as a chef, as a human being. So I, I personally love it.
Jaymee Sire:
And you're also a new mom, so congratulations.
Adriana Urbina:
Thank you.
Jaymee Sire:
As a chef and now a mom. What does work-life balance look like to you? Or is that, or does that exist at all?
Adriana Urbina:
Wow. It's, it's, I'm still trying to find, figure that out, but my husband is super supportive, so I, I haven't stopped working. And, and also it's good to, for me to, to to take a pause and, and say like, okay, this is also important. So I'm, I'm trying to learn how to make this space to also enjoy other things that are not food related.
Jaymee Sire:
It's good, it's good to have both. Right?
Adriana Urbina:
Yeah.
Jaymee Sire:
Has motherhood changed your perspective on food and nutrition as well? Or is it kind of just like reemphasizing what, what you've been working towards the last few years?
Adriana Urbina:
Yeah, exactly. I, I feel like I'm, I'm passionate, but now I'm like 10 times more passionate. I wanna do more things. I feel like, of course, like nutrition is even more important right now. And, and yeah, I feel like everything is more intense. I feel things more intensely.
Jaymee Sire:
Coming up next, Adriana talks about being a three time winner of Chopped and what it was like going up against the culinary titans on Bobby's Triple Threat. As you mentioned, you've been on Chopped, in fact, you've won Chopped three times. That is the most for any Latin American female chef. How did your experience with Chopped evolve from the first time to the last time that you competed?
Adriana Urbina:
Wow, so much. The first one, the first time I was so, well, I'm shy in general
Jaymee Sire:
What, what have you learned about yourself? Uh, throughout competing?
Adriana Urbina:
I've learned that I, I mean, it's like life, right? Like, if you concentrate in what you're doing and, and don't look what other people are, are doing, you succeed, like, it's easier to succeed, right? Because you're, you want, you know, you're, and I feel like life is like that, right? And now that we have so many distractions, I feel like we're less worried about getting better in our craft and what we do. We're more worried about what other people, other people's lives. So, I don't know. I feel like I've learned to really focus on what I'm doing.
Jaymee Sire:
Mm-hmm, how, how did you get selected, you know, initially for that, that first episode?
Adriana Urbina:
For that first episode? Well, I think it was through one of my pop-ups.
Jaymee Sire:
And then somebody, you know, had gone to the dinner or, or reached out. Like how did that all go down?
Adriana Urbina:
I think it was Eater came to one of my dinners and they wrote a little article, and then from there, I think someone saw it and they reach out.
Jaymee Sire:
That's awesome. You said it yourself that you, you're a shy person. So what, what kind of challenges does that present for you? Competing on tv? Not just having to, you know, worry about the food you're cooking, but also, you know, being on camera as well.
Adriana Urbina:
I mean, I'm, I'm so thankful that Food Network reached out to me because it, now I'm a whole different person thanks to that opportunity, because it showed me that I can do more than I, you know, could ever imagine. So I've been working since that day on my confidence. And I feel like I am, you know, I'm a whole different person thanks to that experience. So, so yeah.
Jaymee Sire:
What, what do you, what do you think has been the key to your success, you know, in that arena? You know, winning Chopped three times is definitely not an easy thing to do. Why, why do you excel under those situations?
Adriana Urbina:
Hmm. I don't know. I feel like I, I was, I was trying to have fun and I didn't, I really, really didn't care about the, I mean, I did, of course I did, but I was like more concentrated and I really wanna show what I love to do, which is cooking. To people, you know, like I, and, and I tried to concentrate more in that than in, in other things when I was doing that, like, having fun.
Jaymee Sire:
Mm-hmm, what do you think people would be surprised to know, you know, about behind the scenes of filming a show like Chopped?
Adriana Urbina:
That it's real, like everything is real, everyone asks me the same thing and I'm like, it, it's, I, I love this show and the reason why I've come back so many times is because it's so real. And yeah. And it's fun to see that a show can be like that, like a competition show.
Jaymee Sire:
What was your favorite dish that you competed with?
Adriana Urbina:
My favorite dish was, I did a slow cooked coconut stew, with, it was like p lot of citrus and a goat head, like shredded goat head, that one. And then I did a green mango gazpacho as a insert. And those were my two favorites.
Jaymee Sire:
When, when you, when you open, you know, the basket and you see, you know, the contents inside, like what is, what is your strategy? Like, what, what's the first thing that you're thinking about and, and how do you kind of move forward in that, that very stressful, you know, time, time period, time constraints.
Adriana Urbina:
I don't know. I always have, I feel like I always had like, some dishes that I wanted, like some bases that I wanted to do. If like, whatever happens I wanna do, for example, pasta, whatever I have there. But I also think about all of the, the components that I wanna have in a dish, like texture, acidity, layers of flavor, colors, like all of that. Like how all of those things are in my mind when I'm, okay, caramel, okay, how can I transform this into a sauce and then create, you know, like that's my base. And then from that base I create.
Jaymee Sire:
And you also competed on the premier season of Bobby's Triple Threat, where you have to face all three of the culinary titans. How did that experience compare to your time on Chopped?
Adriana Urbina:
Wow, that was amazing. It was nerve wracking because of course it was totally different. I was competing with these amazing chefs, superstars and and I was super nervous. I was very, very nervous and I was pregnant. I, I was like, yeah, I was like four months pregnant and, and it was like back to back, like I competed with all of the chefs back to back. So it was, it was tough, but it was super fun.
Jaymee Sire:
Is there anything that you would do differently if you had the chance to compete on that show again?
Adriana Urbina:
I think in one of the rounds, the judge really, she didn't like coconut. And most of my dishes had coconut. I was like, oh my God, she doesn't like coconut. So I would've, like, if I would've known, I would've done things different.
Jaymee Sire:
Yeah, I mean that's part of the, you know, the, the strategy, right? You don't know until you see that, that the judge and who it is that first round. So it's, it's hard to, to plan ahead like that. Is there a Food Network chef that you would like to collaborate or cook with in the future?
Adriana Urbina:
Oh yeah. Amanda Freitag. I love her. She's so sweet. I would love to do something with her. Jamie Oliver, Bobby Flay. I haven't cooked with him yet, so. Yeah.
Jaymee Sire:
All right. Well you also have an episode of Crack an Egg With on foodnetwork.com. Can you describe the breakfast that you created on that episode and why it's so special to you?
Adriana Urbina:
Yeah. I did a green plantain with a cheese crossed and a, and an egg and a chimichurri. My dad used to make this dish for us. My dad is the reason why I'm a chef.So he used to make this for us at breakfast. For breakfast, and we really love it. It's very simple and, but that brings a lot of memories and, and yeah, it's delicious. It's, it's very simple, but, but delicious. Very tasty.
Jaymee Sire:
Why was your dad so influential in you becoming a chef?
Adriana Urbina:
Well, he was the one that, first he was always cooking, so, and he always invited me to cook with him, like, come see what I'm doing. And, and he, he was never afraid of me being alone in the kitchen. So that gave me a lot of confidence and a lot of room to create. So I, my, the kitchen was that safe space for me. So, so yeah, thanks to him. I, I'm a chef.
Jaymee Sire:
And, and what does he think about, you know, your, your career so far? You've done so many in incredible things and I'm sure lots of, lots more in store.
Adriana Urbina:
Yeah, he is super proud. He is very happy. He was always asking me about recipes and things and. Yeah. Super proud
Jaymee Sire:
Well, he has plenty of reasons to be super proud of you, and we have so enjoyed chatting with you and getting to know you. We're gonna finish things off with a little rapid fire round, and then we have one final question for you.
Adriana Urbina:
Awesome.
Jaymee Sire:
Favorite summer snack.
Adriana Urbina:
I love, uh, tropical fruit, like the very, very cold, like watermelon, like frozen watermelon, pineapple mangoes, et cetera.
Jaymee Sire:
Love that. Show that you're watching right now.
Adriana Urbina:
The Bear.
Jaymee Sire:
Oh, it’s so good.
Adriana Urbina:
Yes. Finally.
Jaymee Sire:
Nice.
Adriana Urbina:
Yeah, and I recently watched The Menu. I know that I'm, that's old, but.
Jaymee Sire:
That's not too old. Not too old. Next travel destination.
Adriana Urbina:
Ooh, we're going to Korea. I'm super excited. Italy and Valencia.
Jaymee Sire:
Oh, wow. So.
Adriana Urbina:
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah.
Jaymee Sire:
That's incredible.
Adriana Urbina:
Exciting, exciting trips.
Jaymee Sire:
Are you an early bird or a night owl?
Adriana Urbina:
Early bird, definitely.
Jaymee Sire:
Favorite book. It can be a cookbook or otherwise it's related to cooking.
Adriana Urbina:
I love, On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee and that's like the Chef Garden. It's one of my favorites.
Jaymee Sire:
If you could cook for anyone in the world, who would it be?
Adriana Urbina:
Wow, this is a tough question. If, I don't know, maybe Anthony Bourdain.
Jaymee Sire:
Oh yeah. I love that. Yeah.
Adriana Urbina:
To see, to see. Yeah. I would've loved to meet him.
Jaymee Sire:
Mm-hmm. Same. All right, so our final question is not rapid fire. You can take as long as you want on this, but we ask everybody this question at the end of our interviews here on Food Network Obsessed. Everybody has a different answer. We love hearing the variety of everybody's answers. And the question is, what would be on the menu for your perfect food day? So, wanna hear what you're eating for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert? There's no rules. So you can, you know, travel time, travel, you know, spend as much money as you want. There are no rules. We just wanna hear what your ideal food day looks like.
Adriana Urbina:
Wow. I'm, I'm pretty simple. I think for breakfast, I would say something like, very traditional Venezuelan like soft eggs with cilantro, tomatoes, crunchy arepas like a spread with Venezuelan cheeses, like fresh Venezuelan cheeses. And then also French cheeses that I love, like smelly. Smelly, delicious French. What else? Lots of different fruits, like tropical weird fruits. And what else? Oh, no, crunchy, crispy bacon.
Jaymee Sire:
Yes.
Adriana Urbina:
And that's it for breakfast.
Jaymee Sire:
Okay. That sounds perfect. All right. What's, what are you having for lunch?
Adriana Urbina:
And for lunch? I, my favorite food is seafood. So like, perfect lunch next to the sea, to the ocean, and all the like raw seafood, like oysters, uni, all of that. And also like baked fish, like salted baked fish. Oh yeah. Things like that. Tostones, I love tostones, like fried tostones and, and fresh, fresh bread. Like good, good bread, lots of bread,
Jaymee Sire:
Sounds delicious. And then dinner?
Adriana Urbina:
Um, yeah, I think that's for lunch or dinner.
Jaymee Sire:
Okay. Lunch or dinner. Both of them. All right.
Adriana Urbina:
Exactly. Exactly. And, and for dessert, my favorite is churros with dulce de leche, my favorite, or Nutella crepes which is basic. But I love it.
Jaymee Sire:
Sounds, sounds fantastic. And it sounds like a lovely food day. And again, we so enjoyed chatting with you. Thank you so much. And best of luck with all your future endeavors.
Adriana Urbina:
Thank you so much for having me. And it was lovely meeting you.
Jaymee Sire:
You can watch Adriana's episode of Crack an Egg With on foodnetwork.com, and make sure to follow us wherever you listen to podcasts so you don't miss a thing. And if you enjoy today's episode, please rate and review. We love it when you do that. That's all for now. We'll catch you foodies next Friday.