Luis Robles Author

Hailing from the culturally rich border town of El Paso, Texas, Top Chef Season 18 winner Gabe Erales has a passion for preserving Mexican corn and culture, and has infused that passion into everything he creates in the kitchen. His cooking philosophy focuses on locality through strong relationships with local farmers. Erales also seeks honesty in his roots by sourcing unique varieties of landrace corn, chiles, and other ingredients from different regions of Mexico. Married with four children, Erales recently launched his scholarship program, Niños de Maíz, with the Culinary Institute of America.

Luis Robles is a chef based in Los Angeles. Born and raised in East Los Angeles to Mexican immigrants, he began by washing dishes in 1998. Robles works with chefs across the country and abroad, and has held chef positions at The Disneyland Hotel, Patina Restaurant Group, Bon Appétit, and Wolfgang Puck Catering. Cooking for special events are creative opportunities, such as the Food & Wine Festival, the 2010 Winter Olympics and the annual Governor’s Ball at the Academy Awards. In 2016, he was a presenter at the MAD Symposium.

As an Associate Professor of Culinary Arts at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College, Robles teaches whole animal butchery and oversees a restaurant open to the public. He is inspired by the resilience of his students at the inner-city community college. Teaching future generations of cooks the skills for culinary success is his passion.