Remember Chocolat, the fairy tale-like movie starring Juliette Binoche? In it, a whole town is given a new lease on life when a chocolatier opens a shop serving confections made with such love and attention to detail, people are changed for the better just by eating them.
That’s how my husband and I felt after dinner at MÁS – Tapas y Vino at the Hotel Andaluz in Albuquerque.
We’ve never before sensed a chef’s personality so infused in their dishes.
Chef Marc Quinones is down to earth and approachable but his passion comes through whether he’s cooking a dish, plating it or simply describing it. I don’t know how to explain it but you can actually taste that care in every forkful.
After talking to the award-winning chef for a few minutes (“What a special person,” my husband said to me), I called over Food and Beverage Manager Michele Martinez to ask her if everyone experienced that same magic.
“Yes,” she laughed. “Marc is amazing. He truly loves what he does and is a great inspiration for making oneself better. I am very proud to work beside him day after day.”
Even if you never get to New Mexico, I wanted to at least introduce you to this gifted chef. Maybe he’ll work his magic and you’ll be able to taste his delicious food through the photos.
How did a nice boy from the Bronx end up in Albuquerque?! Can you share a little of your journey with us?
My aunt and uncle moved out here back in the mid 70’s to attend the University of New Mexico. My late grandmother followed a few years later and then my mother moved us out here in the early 80’s. We actually moved back to New York in the late 80’s then came back to New Mexico where I attended high school.
After graduating, I again moved back to New York where I began working in many different kitchens in Manhattan through a temp agency. I would have to wake up at 4 in the morning to catch a bus and two subways to get to the city before 6 a.m. just to have a chance at getting sent out on a job that day. Sometimes there would be no jobs available so I would wander around Manhattan staring into restaurant windows and reading the menus. Those were very humbling times but I wouldn’t change them. I feel like that era helped build my character and resiliency.
Fast forward a few years, and I ended up attending the Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Scottsdale, where I graduated on the Presidents List. Not long after, I was working on Kona, The Big Island of Hawaii, and it was there that I reconnected with my childhood crush online, Lysa, who is now my wife!
I love that, on the menu, you mention that you were craving Hungarian Goulash at the age of three. Tell us more!
That’s a true story! My mother, whose name is Grace, tells the story much better than I do but she had made some Goulash and apparently I loved it so much that the next day I grabbed the leftovers out of the refrigerator and stormed into her room asking her to heat some up for me.
Is she the one who inspired your passion for cooking?
Definitely. As far back as I can remember, she was always in the kitchen whipping up something delicious. Being in the kitchen with her and watching her cook was – and still is – one of my favorite things to do. My late grandmother Julia is another big inspiration. You could literally smell her cooking from down the street. Even though she’s no longer with us, her love and passion for food still burns deep in my heart.
When did you know you wanted to be a chef?
As cliché as it may sound, I knew from a very early age. The very first meal that I prepared on my own was baked turkey wings. I was 8 years old. My mom walked me through step by step but those wings came out delicious. I love cooking so much and it never gets old.
What was your family’s reaction to your career goals?
They were not surprised at all. Anyone who knows me can tell you that I have always been super excited about the culinary arts. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a party where I didn’t somehow end up cooking!
MÁS bills itself as a tapas restaurant although I would argue it’s so much, well, mas. What does Spanish cooking mean to you?
The idea of Spanish cooking is something that I feel very connected to. The Mediterranean itself is so vast that there is always something new to learn or discover. When you factor in the fact that I am Puerto Rican, with the dotted lines that exist between Spain and Puerto Rico, it makes even more sense.
How did you come up with the menu for MÁS?
My culinary point of view when it comes to MÁS is contemporary Mediterranean cuisine that is open to the idea of global influences while featuring regional game meats and fresh local produce from right here in the great state of New Mexico. I am constantly educating myself and am always inspired by the seasons and what’s happening all over the culinary world. I love changing the menu every season. That’s very important to me.
What are some of the most popular dishes?
The Diver Sea Scallops. I pair them with crispy Jamon Serrano which makes the dish a sort of a play on a surf ‘n turf. Currently I serve it with Israeli Cous Cous and a Meyer Lemon Aioli. Big flavors! Another few big hits are the Patatas Bravas, Moroccan Fried Oysters and the Iberian Black Pig.
I can vouch for all of those! I think my personal favorite, though, was the pork, which was so tender and flavorful, I pretty much moaned through every bite.
The Berkshire Pork Belly is by far the most meaningful dish on the menu as it is in many ways an homage to my mother. It’s a play on Pork & Beans. I take the belly and braise it for six hours in a blend of different stocks, aromatics, sherry and harissa. Then I press it over night before cutting it into cubes and crisping it up. Then I glaze it with the braising jus that we strain three different times and serve it with an Anasazi Bean Ragout and toasted Corn Kernels. This dish is my heart on a plate and represents who I am not only as a Chef but as a person. My mom would make magic out of those little cans of Pork & Beans and I always knew that I would one day be able to create a dish that celebrates yet elevates that humble can. It’s my love song to my mom on a plate.
My husband is a vegetarian and he was so excited about all the rich flavors and substantial dishes he was able to eat at MÁS. How do you approach vegetarian meals?
The same way I approach any other meal I’m preparing. With thoughtfulness, love and passion. I’ve never given any more importance or focus to one dish than another. I pride myself on having the utmost integrity in any ingredient that I approach, all the way down to the sides and even the grind of salt I finish a dish with. It disappoints me when I hear stories of Chefs that view vegetarian meals as less important than a dish with meat in it. That’s just silly to me.
How often do you change your menu and can you give us a sneak preview of some of the future dishes you’re considering?
I change the menu every season, although I keep a select few dishes on the menu that have become signature dishes. I am currently developing a dish that riffs off of the “Honey Ham” concept. It’s almost ready to be introduced to the menu and I am excited to see the reaction from our guests.
You’ve worked in a number of different places from New Orleans to Scottsdale to LA to Hawaii. How have those different locations added to your repertoire and to how you think about food in general?
My travels have been such a huge part of who I am as a Chef. I’m always supremely inspired and excited to see how different regions and cultures approach food. I have a bunch of little notebooks with my favorite ideas from the places I have been to, and I often reference them. The one thing that I have found is that there is a common thread that runs through all those places when it comes to the food, and that is love and passion. One of the most important lessons I have learned over the years is that those who do it best genuinely love what they do and they do it for the people they’re feeding. That has always resonated with me.
What’s been the one consistent philosophy you’ve kept through all those jobs?
Character first, always. Make smart choices and leave it all out there every service.
You’ve been on the Food Network a couple of times. What were those experiences like?
Unbelievable! Growing up watching Food Network all the time is something I did with my mother a lot and now I watch these shows with my wife and kids. Being able to have been on the shows that I watched so often was surreal. The first show I did was Cutthroat Kitchen and then I competed on Chopped. Two of the biggest moments of my life and all I can say is that I am very thankful for them.
You have three sons. Do any of them share your passion for cooking? What would you like them to learn from watching you?
I have three boys: Truth, Journey and Ilijah. They all three love to eat but I would say that, so far, Truth is the one who really has taken a liking to cooking. In fact, he has been on live television with me a few times, cooking on the morning news show here in New Mexico. To be honest, those moments are among the most important and special to me. Even more so than being on Food Network.
It’s obvious that you put 100% into every dish you serve. According to your co-workers, the secret ingredient you always add seems to be passion. Do you think that’s accurate?
Most definitely. This business is hard, and there are many more tough days than good ones. That’s just how it is. But even on the days where things really take a toll, I always find the time to sit back and be thankful to be able to do what I do. Not many people can say that they truly do what they have loved since childhood for a living. I, with great pride, can say that I do.
How do you want guests to feel after their meal?
For me, it’s always been about one thing, and that is the guest experience. Growing up it didn’t matter if times were good or bad, when it was time to cook and eat, nothing else mattered. I feel a great responsibility to suspend the reality of my guests every night while they are sitting in my dining room enjoying a dish that I created. That is such a dynamic blessing to me and I will never lose sight of that. All I want my guests to feel is the love and thoughtfulness that was put into that meal.
Rest assured you succeed in that, Chef. Is there anything else you want to share?
I have a great team behind me and I would like to acknowledge them for putting everything they have into what we do. For trusting me to lead them. I have incredibly talented Sous Chefs, Cooks and Dishwashers. I also have a tremendous wait staff who are the front line ambassadors of my cuisine. It is also important to me that I once again mention my wife Lysa who, aside from being a very successful Charge Nurse supervisor with her Masters Degree in Nursing, is there to take our kids to swim class, games, parties and many of the other things that I routinely miss out on due to my work commitments. I will forever owe her my complete love and gratitude.
