Meet Ines Vasquez | Private Chef and Nutrition and Dietetics Student

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ines Vasquez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ines, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I was born and raised in Tejutla, San Marcos, Guatemala. My mother used to work as a teacher in two schools, so I spent most of my time with my grandparents. My grandfather Romulo Gutierrez and my grandmother Floridalma de Gutierrez (RIP) taught me to be passionate about food, hospitality, and gardening. Without knowing it, my grandparents were my best school for culinary arts. At 16 years old, I moved to the United States. It was a huge cultural impact. I had to learn a new language, customs, and a new pace of life. While these changes were challenging and scary, I always thought about my parents, who immigrated to this country to give my siblings and me a better future, and my grandparents and family missing us in Guatemala. I wanted to make them proud. Today, when I look back, I see how my grandparents influenced my life, how immigrating to a new country and the struggles we had with my parents and siblings gave me the push I needed to follow my passion for food and today share my culture through it.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Cooking, for me, has always been home. Growing up, my family had a hostel, where I learned the importance of food and hospitality from my grandmother and grandfather. My goal is to share with people food that makes them happy. I want to share food that represents the flavors and colors of my culture while embracing seasonality and showcasing native ingredients. During the pandemic, I started my own home bakery called The Sharing Plate, with the vision of sharing gourmet desserts with Latin flavors. Thanks to my small business, I have the opportunity to work as a private chef for celebrities and stars in Los Angeles. Although the beginning of my career was not easy, with dedication, discipline, effort, and the support of my family, I could overcome all the challenges I had. Throughout my process to become a chef I learned always to be hospitable, flexible, creative, disciplined, and curious. While I am passionate about food and cooking, I am also passionate about food as medicine which took me to study nutrition, and today I apply my knowledge to cook foods that embrace culture, seasonality, and health benefits. Food is life!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If a friend would be visiting LA I would take them for a morning hike at the Griffith Observatory and then walk down to Alcove in Los Feliz for a nice brunch and finish with ice cream at Jenn’s ice cream. At night I would take them to Mirame in Vermont and Sunset for cocktails and delicious Mexican food. Throughout the week, we would visit restaurants in the area, such as Papi’s Tacos, Dune, Pine and Crane, Bungkus Bagus pop-up, Republique, and Surawon tofu house. We would go on walks to Silverlake, Echo Park, and Santa Monica and visit the Hollywood and Santa Monica Farmer’s Market.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would not be here sharing my story with the world without my parents, Patricia and Giovanni Vasquez. My parents left their country to give me and my siblings a better future. They taught me perseverance, patience, and, most importantly, never to give up. My grandparents Romulo Gutierrez and Floridalma Velasquez de Gutierrez (RIP) who taught me to always be humble in my upbringing, to be proud of where I come from, and share my talents. My siblings, Ximena, Gio, and Paolo who have been there to believe in me and show me always to be curious about the world around me. My Mentors, Debbie Michail, Celene and Tara Carrara, and Ori Menashe, for always encouraging me to be better, teaching me new ways to expand my culinary expertise, and for being amazing role models as professionals and human beings.

Instagram: The_SharingPlate

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ines-vasquez-986a35194

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thesharingplate