Robert Montano may be known as the tattooed chef at Twinkeyz Tacos who sous-vides a killer carne asada, but he’ll be serving a five-course vegan meal at NakedFood on the evening of Sept. 3.
Montano, who is always greeting diners at Twinkeyz and asking them if the flavors are to their liking, won’t be hiding in the kitchen the entire night at NakedFood, either. He’ll be making the rounds, sharing with participants his story.
“As a child I was always fascinated with my mom’s cooking,” the Californian-bred Montano tells the Taipei Times.
Photo courtesy of NakedFood
“Growing up in a house with three brothers I was the only one ever willing to help out in the kitchen.”
It wasn’t until he was injured from a motorcycle accident that he seriously considered cooking as a career.
“My parents asked me if I’ve ever thought about going to culinary school,” says Montano. “That’s how it all started.”
Photo courtesy of NakedFood
Since then, he’s been traveling the world, working under chefs such as Joan Roca in Spain, and the Los Angeles-based Michael Voltaggio, who won the sixth season of the reality TV show, Top Chef.
Four years ago, Montano found himself in Taipei for what was supposed to be a six-month stint. It was during this time that he ended up eating guabao (割包), or pork belly buns, a Taiwanese delicacy, nearly five times a week. It’s also what inspired the guabao remix taco at Twinkeyz.
“I’m so lucky to have been able to travel and work abroad,” says Montano. “It adds authenticity, I feel, to what I do.”
Photos courtesy of NakedFood
That being said, he despises the word “fusion.”
“It sounds cheap,” he says.
Growing in multicultural Los Angeles, he prefers the term, “Californian cuisine.”
“We take elements of what we know and what we’ve tasted and often design menus around this.”
Full descriptions of each course are available on the NakedFood Web site and includes curried cauliflower couscous pumpkin falafel and Thai coconut crumble with coconut mousse.
Tickets are NT$1,500 per person, but be sure to secure your place fast, as there are only three spaces left as of Thursday evening.
To secure your place at the dinner, RSVP online at nkdfood.delicioustaipei.com. Tickets are NT$1,500.
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