Let’s talk about a meal you can call your favorite. Many come to my mind. There’s fresh crab at the Fish Market on Pier 39. There’s also a filet mignon, topped with whipped, melted butter from the steak house in the Monte Carlo Hotel, Casino in Reno. So many come to mind when someone asks, “What’s your favorite?” I do know one thing; I’m not going to have to drive out of town to get a top notch meal.
So what inspired me to write about an up and coming, young head chef, with a passion for good Italian food? A blackened sword fish filet topped with Cajun shrimp scampi, garlic mashed potatoes, and steamed vegetables. The person responsible for this creation is none other than head Chef, Eduardo Rodriguez, from Vito’s Italian Cuisine in Turlock. This meal didn’t come from a manual that you would find in the kitchen of, let’s just say, a chain restaurant. This dish was thought up in a dream. “I made it a habit to keep a note pad and pen near my bed because most of my ideas come from my dreams in the middle of the night,” says Eduardo. A lot of his recipes are what he perceives as traditional Italian cuisine mixed with some Mexican food influence, which he received from his parents, who also had a passion for cooking food.
I got a chance to sit down with Eduardo and talk about, you guessed it, food. Not only is he an inspiration to young chefs around the Central Valley, he also prides himself on not being limited to what he can create in the kitchen.

Us: Did you grow up in Turlock?
ER: I grew up in Guadalajara, Mexico. I came to America seven years ago and lived in Hughson.

Us: Where did you go to culinary school?
ER: I went to the Institute of Technology and trained in culinary arts. I also grew up around the food service industry. I worked in taco trucks since I was twelve. After I finished culinary school, I worked in a few restaurants around town. Samaritan Village, Toscano’s, and Uno Chicago Grill as a Sous Chef. After Uno, I started my career with Vito’s in Modesto.

Us: Is this your first job as a Head Chef?
ER: Yes it is. I started my career with Vito’s a year ago in the Modesto restaurant as a Sous Chef. After 4 months, I was asked to transfer to Turlock as Sous Chef. Then I eventually took over as Head Chef when the previous one left.

Us: Who or what influenced your style of cooking?
ER: There was this guy named Luis, who was the Sous Chef at a reastaurant called Timeless Cuisine. He took me under his wing and mentored me. We worked really good together. I followed him to Toscano’s and then to Uno Chicago Grill which he opened. Uno was great but I wasn’t into the whole franchise thing. I like to be able to do my own thing and create my own recipes. My Mother also influenced my style a lot. When I was growing up, she took me along with her when she was attending culinary school in Mexico. My Father was also an Italian Chef in Alaska.

Us: How did you come up with the blackened sword fish with Cajun scampi?
ER: There are many was you can do shrimp scampi. All I decided to do was spice it up a little bit. This particular dish, I got up at about 2 am when I woke up from a dream. I keep a note pad next to my bed because I started getting ideas while sleeping. However, when I came up with this one, I was thinking sushi and Mexican food. I started writing down ideas on how I can combine the two. The next day, I came to work and told my friends that I was going to create some Mexican sushi. There is an old Mexican dish where you take shrimp and marinate it in lemon, garlic salt, Serrano chilies and cilantro. Then you fry it up and serve. I took that recipe and made a sushi roll with it. Eventually it turned from the roll to a Cajun-style scampi served on top of a blackened salmon filet. The blackened sword fish filet is just another variation of the dish. You have to learn how to play with food and try different things. I am constantly asking my friend about different ideas that I come up with. They’re always willing to taste them and let me know what they think.

Us: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
ER: I want to go to Italy and study there. I’m still debating on when I should go. I want to take some Italian language courses before I go. I specialize in Italian food, so I want to go where it actually came from. I want to start training in a restaurant as soon as I get there. Then I want to open up an Italian restaurant in my hometown of Guadalajara. I love that city. They have a variety of different styles of restaurants. A lot of different cultures are represented in that city.

Us: Does Vito’s give you the freedom to come up with your own creations?
ER: Yes. We have a special everyday. One of our most popular dishes is a Halibut filet with a lemon cream sauce.

Us: Do you ever cook at home?
ER: Only on special occasions. I spend most of my time here in the restaurant. My family does volunteer me to cook for Thanksgiving and other holidays. I love to cook for my family. Right now I’m teaching my mother how to cook Italian food. She taught me everything I need to know about Mexican food, so I thought I would teach her what I specialize in!

Us: I notice you and your team taste the food (while cooking). Is that a chef practice?
ER: We call it quality control. I don’t want to serve my customers something that I wouldn’t taste. It has to be good. We make everything from scratch. For instance, I make my Alfredo sauce from scratch. You have to make sure that is has the right amount of cheese, and wine. When you taste it, you recognize right away if it needs more garlic or cheese.

Us: What are you guys most known for, here at Vito’s?
ER: Probably our bread. Everybody loves the bread. Our cioppino is very popular also. Everytime I sell one, I always get a compliment from the customer.

Us: What are your hobbies?
ER: I love extreme sports. Just last week, we (some friends and I) did a three day hike at Half Dome. We started on a Monday and hiked up half the mountain. Then we camped overnight on the mountain and finished it off the next day. The third day, we hiked down. When I got home, I could barely walk! I also play the guitar. I love to swim and any other sport that you do in the water.

Vito’s Restaurante & Pizzeria
3851 Crowell Rd.
Turlock
667-1010

www.vitos-ristorante.com