In her own words…

Chef Chris (Gonzo) Gonzales. There is so much I can say about his talent and cooking abilities and those things are important and help to make a good chef - but Gonzo was an amazing chef for so many reasons beyond his talent. I was lucky enough to work next to him almost every night for a couple of years. We developed a friendship that was incomparable to any friendship I’ve ever had in my life. Because of this closeness in work and friendship, we learned so much together and from each other. 

Having Gonzo in my corner was such a gift. The majority of our time together we were both line cooks, not managers or chefs. At times, mistakes were made on our grill station. Mistakes that would get us yelled at during a busy service. Without fail every time (especially when I was the one at fault) Gonzo always took the heat. “I’m sorry Chef, it was my fault”. He always kept his cool and remained calm which has never been my speciality. He was such a calming force that he would pull me out of a tailspin with the simple words “It’s OK, I got you”. 

I recently spoke to someone who only briefly worked with Gonzo. He worked the day shift and Gonzo was the night shift. I was told of many examples where Gonzo came into a stressed out morning crew. He would arrive early, say hello to every person there and then ask what he could do to help.”Man, I’m so far behind. Chef is already mad at me and I still have all these things on my list to get done” Gonzo would simply say “You just focus on getting the plates out, I’ll take care all this on the list and you just worry about these two things”
The care for others, the calming nature and the respect he had and showed for everyone on the kitchen crew are only a few things that set him apart from others. His humility was astonishing. He never looked down on anybody for their shortcomings. 

As a female working in a predominantly male driven profession, I have dealt with many men who were unwilling to listen to and learn from me. Never once did Gonzo question my ability. He often told me how much I taught him when we were working that grill station together. When I finally got my promotion to Sous Chef, it was almost as though he was more excited than I was. Anytime I was struggling or feeling not good enough, he was right there to tell me that I was great, that I had no reason to question myself.

When he left that job to be a Chef at Casablanca, it was very hard to see him go. However, to see him moving onto bigger and better things and to finally be wearing that chef coat that he deserved & worked so hard for - well that made it all worth it.

Although I no longer had my best friend next to me at work everyday, he continued to be my greatest supporter. He was only a phone call away. It was almost as though he knew when I really needed him.On some of my toughest days, he would just show up with a big hug and a giant sandwich that he had made just for me. 

He was talented, educated, always teaching himself more, caring, thoughtful, tough as steel and his own worst critic. Chef Gonzo is irreplaceable. There will never be another one like him. Everyday I feel honored to have known him, learned from him, worked with him and to have had a friend like him. Simply the best. I love you Gonzo.

Chef Rachel - work wife

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