Blog By Maelynn Le
28 Feb 2022
All photos were taken by Maelynn Le (Unless stated)
Photo: Nelson German, photo taken by Stephanie Diani/Bravo
Chef Nelson German! A contestant on Top chef, a professional, and owner of two restaurants in Oakland called alaMar Kitchen and Sobre Mesa Cocktail lounge. I got the pleasure of watching him during the KQED LIVE stream event on Tuesday, February 22nd at the KQED headquarters in San Francisco, CA. During the interview session, German talked a lot about his Latian and African American background as well as the foods he grew up on, his aspirations, how he grew up, his journey as a chef, and where he is today. German also did a live demo on one of his signature mocktail margarita drinks and we got to taste the mocktail drink as well. There was also a sample box of food we were offered and got to sample during the live interview as he walked through the ingredients of his food.
Photo: Carlos Cabrera-Lomeli (left) and Chef Nelson German (right)
Throughout the interview, Carlos Cabrera- Lomeli (the host) asked specific questions related to German’s life and his journey as a chef. German is a Dominican American who was born and raised in New York City in Washington Heights. Growing up, he was always in the kitchen with his mother and grandmother. He enjoyed what they were cooking and appreciated what they were doing because he realized, food is about telling beautiful stories and representing the community and culture. Even today, he reflects and still remembers the past and memories he had with his mom and grandma because they influenced German the chef and person he is today. Because German had that passion as a chef, he had his culinary training at the NY Art Institute. Today, he focuses on bringing Latin and African flavors to Oakland, creating diversity and representing what Oakland and the Bay Area is all about.
After German answered some interview questions, he demonstrated how he makes his Mock Guava Margarita (non-alcoholic). According to German, he states that his drinks are “about combining flavors that tell a story” (German). He combined free spirits nonalcoholic tequila, guava, orange liqueur, lime juice, and agave. He then shakes up the drink and pours it into a glass. On the outside of the drink, he adds salt around the rim of the drink to add a spicy note to the drink. When the drink was done, we were able to taste it and I have to say, the mocktail was so delicious, refreshing, and amazing. The Margarita had that smokey, spicy, and salty flavor that was refreshing. I was amazed this drink didn’t have any alcohol and the fact German was able to balance the flavors out was incredible. That has to be my favorite mocktail I ever had.
Photo: Roasted Stuffed Plantain
We finally sampled what German made for us during the event. German walked us through what he prepared and asked us to try the dish. This is a roasted stuffed plantain with avocado, impossible meat Ragu, olives, soy chorizo, and Wanda’s chow chow which is a sweet and hot mixture. I have to say, I can’t believe this is vegetarian! The fact it tasted well, this dish was yummy! The cabbage gave nice earthiness to the dish, the impossible meat ragu was soft and on top of the soy chorizo was yummy! The dish was spicy, sweet, and it also smelled aromatic which I know it means it smelled delicious! If this is what the sample dish tasted like, imagine the rest of his food at his restaurant. His dishes would be amazing.
Overall, KQED did a fantastic job running the event and Chef Norman German did a fantastic job with the food and telling his story through food. He is representing his community of Oakland well and this makes me want to try his restaurants. Special thank you to Stephanie Ngo for inviting me to watch this incredible event by KQED. Shout out to the host Carlos Cabrera-Lomeli for hosting German!
Photo: Carlos Cabrera-Lomeli (left) and Chef Nelson German (right)
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