Venezuelan-Puerto Rican chef Alejandro Toro had no idea his life was going to make a 180 degree-turn when he decided to move back to the United States five years ago.
“I have to say that there’s no dream that’s too big,” Toro told Latin Times. “I mean, five years ago I had no idea I would be doing half of what I’ve done so far, or be anywhere near where I am right now.”
He continued, “I had no idea I was going to get so much into cooking, or that I was going to have this amazing opportunity to cook for many of the best chefs in the world.”
The 27-year-old foodie is one of the 20 cooks competing for the “MasterChef” title on FOX’s cooking competition this year.
“When I got my apron. I mean, just being there with my mom was amazing,” Toro said of the time he got selected to be on the show. “My mom being able to fly to Los Angeles, to be in that moment and to be endorsed by Gordon Ramsay telling her to give me my apron. That was huge for her, that was huge for me, it was like a big accomplishment, it was like the ‘we made it’ moment.”
Toro, who identifies himself as Venezuelan despite having been born in Miami and having Boricua blood running through his veins, confessed using the Latino flavor in the competition can be a double-edged sword.
“I think it depends on how you look at it,” he stated. “It can be a disadvantage because most of the ingredients you use [in Latin cuisine] you are not accustomed to. But it is an advantage to have a different perspective and to know the different flavors or styles you can use that are not common here in the U.S.”
He added, “But then again, you don’t have the ingredients maybe to execute them and that can work in your disadvantage but I think it’s how you look at it, for me it was an advantage, a different perspective and a different point of view.”
Cooking is not Toro’s only talent. He has been working as a voice over artist since he moved back from Venezuela, and you have probably listened to his voice quite a few times.
“I dubbed telenovelas from Spanish to English for South Africa, actually. Telenovelas like ‘Alma Indomable’ and other Mexican soaps,” he mentioned. “Last year I was the voice of Sprint in Spanish. I’ve done voice overs for Payless Shoes, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, AT&T. I’ve done a lot of voice over in commercials.”
When we asked Alejandro the reason behind his transition from voice over to cooking, he replied, “Eating has always been a passion of mine. I used to be a lot heavier than I am now, but I think I started getting more into cooking when I moved here to the U.S. by myself so I had to cook for myself. I think that’s really when I started getting that passion of cooking.”
Toro also disclosed he makes arepas “pretty much every week” and that asado negro is his favorite Venezuelan dish.
“I think I focused on Venezuelan food just because of how much I missed it,” he said. “That’s what made me want to start to recreate the dishes. So, I think the Venezuelan dish that I like the most is asado negro, it’s like a dark roast, but arepas I make pretty much every week.”
The young chef, who describes himself as “a very seasonal type of guy,” mentioned that becoming a full-time cook is not in his plans at the moment but he would love to find a project in which he can integrate all his passions at the same time.
“I see myself producing a documentary series that integrates cooking and filmmaking,” he disclosed. “Maybe traveling to amazing places, camping out, and cooking different foods but from a Latin perspective, I don’t think there’s anything like that.”
Do not miss the multi-talented Alejandro Toro on “MasterChef” every Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. on FOX.
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