Josue Baca-Gutierrez

Josue decided the next best move would be to continue his education on the ins and outs of food science, preparation, and nutrition. He attended la escuela UVM-Glion studying hospitality and culinary arts. After obtaining his degree, his first taste in the culinary world came from working under award-winning top grill master Aaron Mora and Esteban Lluis. Years later, he made the tough decision to leave his life in Mexico in order to take an opportunity to broaden his experiences by taking a leap and moving to California, where he started his career at St. Regis Dana Point in the Monarch Bay Club working as the Sous Chef of the fine dining restaurant alongside Executive Chef, Maitre Cuisinier de France, Frederic Castan and Chef de Cuisine, Franck Tasic. He knew this was a career-changing opportunity that he simply could not let out of his grasp. This opportunity gave Josue massive room for creativity and his ability to become involved in the creation of the menu, "this was my first big break of being allowed to express my input on a restaurant's menu," Josue stated. Learning from Frederic was amazing for Josue. He was the ultimate example of organization in the kitchen and is well known for these qualities across the United States. "Frederic and Franck provided me with invaluable advice on how to redefine my techniques. Instead of just pushing food out, they took the time to teach me the importance of perfecting my dishes before presenting them."

After studying under two life-changing mentors, Josue tapped into a new perspective of digging deep and pushing himself to become a more creative chef like the ones he looked up to. He took these nuggets of knowledge and wholly redesigned his way of cooking in the kitchen, constantly reading and yearning to learn more to invest in being the best he could possibly be, which in turn landed him the position of Head Chef at Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines for four years before making the switch to Head Chef at Death by Tequila Encinitas. Josue's talents were quickly brought to light as he was moved up to a role as Executive Sous Chef of all of Empress Family of Restaurants. He began overseeing the dining concepts for Death by Tequila, Wokou, Leap Coffee, and Crafted Culture. Shortly after that, his talent in the kitchen only became more prevalent, to the point where it only seemed fitting to proudly present Josue Baca-Gutierrez the position of Executive Chef for all of Empress Family of Restaurants.

Josue's goals remain to open more restaurants within the group, and he strives for excellence within the kitchen. Holding high hopes to one day earn a James Beard and Michelin award. He is ecstatic to have the opportunity to be part of the process of overseeing and creating new concepts within Empress Restaurant Group and pursue an evolution of growth within the company and within himself as a chef.