Chef Pete O'Donnell's passion for culinary innovation has always centered around sauces. Raised in a family that loved food, he learned from an early age how sauces can serve as the foundation for creating new and exciting flavor experiences.
His parents, both talented cooks, frequently traveled for work and returned home with new recipes, ingredients, and culinary inspiration from around the world. Those experiences helped shape his appreciation for the endless variety of sauces found across different cultures.
Early in his career, Chef O'Donnell found his first major opportunity at The Vesta Dipping Grill in Denver, Colorado, where more than 50 house-made sauces accompanied the menu. Watching guests mix and match sauces to create their own unique flavor combinations left a lasting impression on him and helped define his approach to culinary creativity throughout his career.
FAVORITE PRODUCTS
6832 - Custom Culinary® Latin Chili Liquid Flavor Concentrate
View Product
6830 - Custom Culinary® Latin Citrus Liquid Flavor Concentrate
View Product
6831 - Custom Culinary® Latin Herb Liquid Flavor Concentrate
View Product
9667 - Custom Culinary® Ready-To-Use Frozen Latin-Style Citrus Chili Sauce
View Product
9902 - Custom Culinary® Ready-To-Use Frozen Tomatillo Serrano Sauce
View Product
9683 - Custom Culinary® True Foundations® Birria Broth
View Product
Dish It Out: Chef O'donnell Q&A
YEARS IN FOODSERVICE INDUSTRY:
25
WHEN DID YOU KNOW YOU WERE GOING TO BECOME A CHEF?
I knew I was going to become a Chef later than most of my peers. After business school, I found my years in Financial Services unfulfilling. I always cooked for my roommate and myself. On Fridays, I would make canapés for everyone before we went out. People commented about how much happier I seemed cooking than working at the Stock Exchange. I realized my passion-filled hobby was my tasty path to enjoyment.
WHAT'S THE BEST ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
You can learn about food from anyone and everyone. Read all the books you can and talk to as many people as possible, because no one can ever know everything about food. Every family has recipes and dishes that have been created and passed down through generations, and those are often the ones that taste the best.
IMAGINE YOU COULD HAVE DINNER WITH ANY THREE PEOPLE, LIVING OR DEAD, WHO WOULD YOU PICK AND WHY?
I would have dinner with James Baldwin, Thurgood Marshall, and my mother, Sheila Donna Bremen O'Donnell. Three people driven by creativity and pushing the limits of what was considered the norm. People whom I know would create an amazing exchange of ideas and passions over a beautiful meal. None of them were in the hospitality field yet made enormous strides to create a better society. They appreciated the use of all 5 senses.
MEMBERSHIPS:
American Culinary Federation (ACF)
RECOGNITION:
Small Business of the Year Austin, TX