First of all, we’d like to know where you’re coming from and how you got started in the realm of cuisine.

I’m from Venezuela, from the city of Caracas but brought up in the city of Merida, a mountainous burg perched on the Andean Range. Both my mother and my father have been quite fond of cuisine, so I can say that my liking for gastronomy came to pass for family reasons when I was a little kid.

When did you make up your mind to get into gastronomy and how has your professional career evolved?

I studied Physics and I graduated in 1989. From that moment on I decided to dedicate myself to cooking in professional terms. Wrapping up the career of someone who’s been in the business for 19 years is a titanic effort, however I’ll give you my hyperlink, www.sumitoestevez.com/Curriculum/cvesp.html for a complete look at my résumé.

How do you define your cooking?

My cooking is profoundly Latin American and it abides by the precept of paying tribute to the amazing biodiversity of vegetables our continent has to offer. That’s the reason why the final say about the way of cooking those dishes from the countries I have visited is taken by me in the local people’s markets.

What are the main influences you have right now?

Fundamentally those that nourish the huge assortment of great and good cooks scattered all across Latin America, as well as those coming from the creative powers of our peoples.

What ingredients are on the top of your list?

There’s no such thing among cooks because it would definitely pigeonhole them in a particular style. Of course, if I’m in Venezuela I’ll put those aromas that mark our nation, such as sweet pepper, coriander and cumin, on the front burner. However, the only ingredient on the top of any cook’s list must be the good humor.

What are the most receptive countries in terms of gastronomy?

Thank goodness my proposal has been widely understood all across Latin America. Perhaps that probably explains why Casa Concha and Toro de Chile have appointed me the gastronomic ambassador of their TRIO wine brands in an effort to tour a good chunk of the mainland territories in 2008 to showcase the quasi-perfect match between the TRIO wines and the sensual seasoning out of the Americas. People in Mexico have been specially generous and I hope to be able to make it up to them for all the nice things with my attendance to the Puerto Vallarta Gourmet Festival.

What are the keys to success for any restaurant?

Maybe the most important thing is to understand the public that wants to be catered to in an atmosphere in which service is the name of the game.

What do you like the most and the least about your profession?

I’ve been waking up in the morning everyday tanking God for giving the chance of being so immensely happy. I love everything, absolutely everything about the way I’ve taken. That’s why I try to put the few things that bother me in the back of my mind to avoid being ungrateful.

<>What’s your dream as a chef?

After all these years, I’ve made a good part of dreams come true. In this moment of my life I dream of seeing the cuisine movement in Latin America strengthen to show the world a potential that’s so obvious right now.