{"id":31035,"date":"2017-07-17T16:24:49","date_gmt":"2017-07-17T20:24:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/?p=31035"},"modified":"2021-08-24T16:18:42","modified_gmt":"2021-08-24T20:18:42","slug":"mexico-love-meet-houston-chef-hugo-ortega","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/mexico-love-meet-houston-chef-hugo-ortega\/","title":{"rendered":"From Mexico, With Love: Meet Houston Chef Hugo Ortega"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Houston chef <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chefhugoortega.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Hugo Ortega<\/a> didn\u2019t truly appreciate his native culture until he left it. When he decamped from Mexico in 1984, Ortega didn\u2019t set out to work in restaurant kitchens. The then-17-year-old hopped a bus from Mexico City to Ciudad Ju\u00e1rez with a simple goal: to support himself and the large family he left behind. He headed east to Houston, where a relative had settled already. Ortega started cleaning offices and lived with an older cousin who traveled with him from Mexico. The cleaning company and cousin both relocated, though, leaving him homeless and looking for work. Fellow immigrants with whom he played pick-up soccer helped him land a job bussing tables and washing dishes at Houston\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.backstreetcafe.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Backstreet Caf\u00e9<\/a>, a New American bistro opened by restaurateur <a href=\"https:\/\/www.htownrestaurantgroup.com\/team\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tracy Vaught<\/a> in 1983.<\/p>\n<div style=\"float: left; width: 35%; margin-top: 8px; margin-right: 10px;\">\n<div id=\"attachment_31037\" style=\"width: 250px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31037\" class=\"wp-image-31037 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/ortega-240x300.jpg\" alt=\"Chef Hugo Ortega\" width=\"240\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/ortega-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/ortega.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 240px) 100vw, 240px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-31037\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Chef Hugo Ortega<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Today the restaurant is thriving; Ortega has been executive chef for the last 12 years. He owns it with Vaught, who long ago hired and promoted the young immigrant through the kitchen ranks. Married since 1994, the pair has one daughter, five restaurants, and several James Beard Award nominations\u2014and one win\u2014between them. (Vaught has been up for Outstanding Restaurateur twice; Ortega, after six nominations, was named Best Chef: Southwest this spring.)<\/p>\n<p>Cooking helped Ortega explore his native country in new ways, he says. \u201cI began to see the incredible heritage that I have coming from a place like Mexico\u2014the richness of the culture and the music and the food and the people.\u201d He graduated from the Culinary Arts program at Houston Community College in 1992, but the traditional Pueblan recipes and techniques he learned from his mother and grandmother remain the foundation of his craft.<\/p>\n<p>Backstreet Caf\u00e9 was Ortega\u2019s entr\u00e9e to the restaurant world, but the chef has gone on to launch more diverse eateries that emphasize his background. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hugosrestaurant.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Hugo\u2019s<\/a>\u2014which Ortega and Vaught opened in 2002\u2014is his paean to regional Mexican cuisine. Sunday brunch at the acclaimed eatery is stacked with chicken-and-tomatillo chilaquiles oozing with over-easy eggs; chiles rellenos; and a glut of tamale varieties, a must among local foodies. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.caracol.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Caracol<\/a>, Ortega\u2019s showcase for coastal Mexican cuisine, followed in 2013.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this year, the couple\u2019s H Town Restaurant Group debuted <a href=\"http:\/\/www.xochihouston.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Xochi<\/a>, Houston\u2019s first upscale Oaxacan restaurant. \u201cIn many ways, Oaxaca is the belly of the country,\u201d says Ortega. The region\u2019s indigenous foodways\u2014dating back to pre-Colombian times\u2014are revered both in Mexico and around the world, he explains.<\/p>\n<p>Texan diners are surrounded by Mexican food, of course, from gas station breakfast tacos to fancy ceviche. Dishes served at Xochi, however, take a deeper cultural dive, unfamiliar to many. First, there are insects. <em>Chapulines<\/em>, or grasshoppers, crown several dishes; they join maguey worms and flying ants in a dish with housemade cotija and pork rinds.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_31038\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31038\" class=\"wp-image-31038 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/quesodelrancho.jpg\" alt=\"Queso del Rancho, a signature dish at Xochi, is topped with grasshoppers, maguey worms, and flying ants\" width=\"600\" height=\"528\" srcset=\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/quesodelrancho.jpg 600w, https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/quesodelrancho-300x264.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-31038\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Queso del Rancho, a signature dish at Xochi, is topped with grasshoppers, maguey worms, and flying ants<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n<p>Beyond bugs, sauces such as <em>mole almendrado<\/em> and its sweet, subtle combination of almonds, tomatoes, and olives, are revelations. Masa dumplings and wild mushrooms in <em>mole amarillo<\/em>\u2014a sauce less complex than the chocolaty mole poblanos most Americans know\u2014offer delicious education, too. Xochi is also a playground for Ortega\u2019s brother, Ruben, the restaurant group\u2019s executive pastry chef. His edible objets d\u2019art include a play on corn that features ear-shaped corn ice cream, queso fresco ice cream, a corn cookie, and blue-corn cream. An entire section devoted to chocolate treats includes the Instagram-worthy Cacao, a realistic cacao pod made from painted white chocolate brimming with cocoa desserts like cake, ice cream, and \u201ccriollo soil\u201d (coarse chocolate-sugar crumbs).<\/p>\n<div style=\"float: left; width: 35%; margin-top: 8px; margin-right: 10px;\">\n<div id=\"attachment_31039\" style=\"width: 238px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31039\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-31039\" src=\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/xochiinterior-228x300.jpg\" alt=\"Ortega and Vaught's newest restaurant, Xochi, focuses on the flavors of Oaxaca\" width=\"228\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/xochiinterior-228x300.jpg 228w, https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/xochiinterior.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 228px) 100vw, 228px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-31039\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Ortega and Vaught&#8217;s newest restaurant, Xochi, focuses on the flavors of Oaxaca<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Xochi was partly inspired by time Ortega and Vaught spent in Oaxaca. Last year they added Oaxaca City restaurant <a href=\"http:\/\/www.origenoaxaca.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Origen<\/a>\u2014 co-owned by Rodolfo Castellanos, the first \u201cTop Chef Mexico\u201d winner\u2014to H Town\u2019s culinary pantheon. Touring the remote region, where locally available ingredients dictate diet, plunged Ortega back into a world of rustic seasonality that he hadn\u2019t experienced since cooking with his grandmother, Delia. He recalls waiting impatiently for summer to come every year so he and his family could eat watermelon, tomatoes, and cucumbers.<\/p>\n<p>In subtropical Houston, seasons are less distinct\u2014this is an area where citrus and strawberries thrive in winter. Still, Ortega works with farmers to source delicacies that are ephemeral even in the Lone Star State. Squash blossoms, for example, are only available in spring and they pop up on Hugo\u2019s menu in May and June, courtesy of farmer Pat Rapesak of Fresh Herbs of Houston, in Needville, Texas. During that short time, squash blossoms appear in cocktails and quesadillas, and are also stuffed with ch\u00e8vre.<\/p>\n<p>Cheese is central to Ortega\u2019s cuisine\u2014from a funky blue on grilled pear flatbread at Backstreet Caf\u00e9 and shrimp filled with poblano peppers and Chihuahua cheese at Caracol to corn soup at Xochi that incorporates earthy <em>huitlacoche<\/em> (corn fungus) and queso fresco. In fact, Ortega has such respect for dairy that his kitchens produce much of the cheese he uses.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve been making <em>quesillo<\/em> for many years at Hugo\u2019s and also at Caracol,\u201d he says. The Oaxacan string cheese tastes like tangier mozzarella, and though it\u2019s easy to locate in heavily Mexican Houston (at last count, 37 percent of the city\u2019s population identifies as Hispanic or Latino\u2014many among them from Mexico), Ortega thinks that his team can make it better.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s that kind of confidence and work ethic that propelled Ortega from undocumented immigrant to naturalized citizen and executive chef of a growing restaurant group in the span of a decade. Ortega visits Mexico frequently, not only to check on Origen and see family but also for inspiration\u2014proof that opportunity flows both ways at the border.<\/p>\n<h2>Five Recipes by Chef Hugo Ortega<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/recipes\/elotes-asados\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-30743\" src=\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/elotes_feature-1.jpg\" alt=\"elotes asados\" width=\"750\" height=\"368\" srcset=\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/elotes_feature-1.jpg 750w, https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/elotes_feature-1-300x147.jpg 300w, https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/elotes_feature-1-200x99.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/recipes\/elotes-asados\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Elotes Asados<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>Freshly ground chiles and the sweetest summer corn elevate this iconic Mexican street food.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/recipes\/tetelas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-30749\" src=\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/tetelas_feature.jpg\" alt=\"tetelas\" width=\"750\" height=\"368\" srcset=\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/tetelas_feature.jpg 750w, https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/tetelas_feature-300x147.jpg 300w, https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/tetelas_feature-200x99.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/recipes\/tetelas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Telelas<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>Named for a small town in Oaxaca, tetelas are a triangular, indigenous equivalent to the quesadilla, but made with fresh masa.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/recipes\/queso-flameado\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-30757\" src=\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/quesoflameado_feature.jpg\" alt=\"queso flameado\" width=\"750\" height=\"368\" srcset=\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/quesoflameado_feature.jpg 750w, https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/quesoflameado_feature-300x147.jpg 300w, https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/quesoflameado_feature-200x99.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/recipes\/queso-flameado\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Queso Flameado<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>Hot, melted cheese in a skillet? Party time!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/recipes\/enchiladas-de-pollo-y-queso-chicken-cheese-enchiladas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-30941\" src=\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/enchiladas_feature.jpg\" alt=\"enchiladas de pollo y queso (chicken-and-cheese enchiladas)\" width=\"750\" height=\"368\" srcset=\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/enchiladas_feature.jpg 750w, https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/enchiladas_feature-300x147.jpg 300w, https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/enchiladas_feature-200x99.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/recipes\/enchiladas-de-pollo-y-queso-chicken-cheese-enchiladas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Enchiladas de Pollo y Queso (Chicken-and-Cheese Enchiladas)<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>Semi-soft Chihuahua cheese is also known as menonita in Mexico, as it was produced in its namesake state by members of the Mennonite community.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/recipes\/huaraches-con-nopales-y-frijoles-de-olla-sandal-shaped-masa-cakes-diced-cactus-paddles-beans\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-30945\" src=\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/huaraches_feature.jpg\" alt=\"Huaraches con Nopales y Frijoles de Olla\" width=\"750\" height=\"368\" srcset=\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/huaraches_feature.jpg 750w, https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/huaraches_feature-300x147.jpg 300w, https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/huaraches_feature-200x99.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/recipes\/huaraches-con-nopales-y-frijoles-de-olla-sandal-shaped-masa-cakes-diced-cactus-paddles-beans\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Huaraches con Nopales y Frijoles de Olla (Sandal-Shaped Masa Cakes with Dried Cactus Paddles and Beans)<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>Huaraches\u2014which translates to &#8220;sandals&#8221;\u2014are oblong masa cakes that serve as a savory platform for beans and cactus in this dish from Hugo Ortega&#8217;s childhood.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Chef Hugo Ortega brings the flavors of his homeland to Houston<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":85,"featured_media":30941,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[13704,2570,855,13713,13702,1003,13712,13703,13706,13701,1034,13707,6609,3462,13709,13711,8565,1161,2537,13710,3598,13705,13708],"coauthors":[1076],"class_list":["post-31035","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-voicings","tag-backstreet-cafe","tag-chef","tag-chevre","tag-chihuahua-cheese","tag-ciudad-juarez","tag-cotija","tag-fresh-herbs-of-houston","tag-houston","tag-houston-community-college","tag-hugo-ortega","tag-mexican","tag-mexican-cuisine","tag-mexico-city","tag-oaxaca","tag-origen","tag-pat-rapesak","tag-quesillo","tag-queso-fresco","tag-recipes","tag-rodolfo-castellanos","tag-texas","tag-tracy-vaught","tag-xochi"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.4 (Yoast SEO v24.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>From Mexico, With Love: Meet Houston Chef Hugo Ortega - culture: the word on cheese<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/mexico-love-meet-houston-chef-hugo-ortega\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"From Mexico, With Love: Meet Houston Chef Hugo Ortega\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Chef Hugo Ortega brings the flavors of his homeland to Houston\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/mexico-love-meet-houston-chef-hugo-ortega\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"culture: the word on cheese\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-07-17T20:24:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-08-24T20:18:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/enchiladas_feature.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"750\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"368\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Photographer Brendan Lekan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Photographer Brendan Lekan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/mexico-love-meet-houston-chef-hugo-ortega\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/mexico-love-meet-houston-chef-hugo-ortega\/\",\"name\":\"From Mexico, With Love: Meet Houston Chef Hugo Ortega - culture: the word on cheese\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/mexico-love-meet-houston-chef-hugo-ortega\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/mexico-love-meet-houston-chef-hugo-ortega\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/enchiladas_feature.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-07-17T20:24:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-08-24T20:18:42+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/#\/schema\/person\/3d0f46d40c9d1fdd1405ab7c76bc178e\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/mexico-love-meet-houston-chef-hugo-ortega\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/mexico-love-meet-houston-chef-hugo-ortega\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/mexico-love-meet-houston-chef-hugo-ortega\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/enchiladas_feature.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/enchiladas_feature.jpg\",\"width\":750,\"height\":368,\"caption\":\"enchiladas de pollo y queso (chicken-and-cheese enchiladas)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/mexico-love-meet-houston-chef-hugo-ortega\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Stories\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/category\/stories\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Voicings\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/category\/stories\/voicings\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"From Mexico, With Love: Meet Houston Chef Hugo Ortega\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/\",\"name\":\"culture: the word on cheese\",\"description\":\"Culture, America&#039;s magazine for cheese lovers, delivers stories about cheeses, cheesemakers, travel to gorgeous cheese regions, and practical tips on buying, presenting, and cooking with cheese.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/#\/schema\/person\/3d0f46d40c9d1fdd1405ab7c76bc178e\",\"name\":\"Alyssa Kim\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/147ff501c1da04994896c3d2cd8c904e\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/10368310_10100947003803605_5735080190250376679_o-1-96x96.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/10368310_10100947003803605_5735080190250376679_o-1-96x96.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Alyssa Kim\"},\"description\":\"Alyssa is culture's former Web Editor. Raised in Mass., she's excited to be back in her home state after six years of working in journalism and TV production in NYC.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/author\/alyssa-kim\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"From Mexico, With Love: Meet Houston Chef Hugo Ortega - culture: the word on cheese","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/mexico-love-meet-houston-chef-hugo-ortega\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"From Mexico, With Love: Meet Houston Chef Hugo Ortega","og_description":"Chef Hugo Ortega brings the flavors of his homeland to Houston","og_url":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/mexico-love-meet-houston-chef-hugo-ortega\/","og_site_name":"culture: the word on cheese","article_published_time":"2017-07-17T20:24:49+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-08-24T20:18:42+00:00","og_image":[{"width":750,"height":368,"url":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/enchiladas_feature.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Photographer Brendan Lekan","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Photographer Brendan Lekan","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/mexico-love-meet-houston-chef-hugo-ortega\/","url":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/mexico-love-meet-houston-chef-hugo-ortega\/","name":"From Mexico, With Love: Meet Houston Chef Hugo Ortega - culture: the word on cheese","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/mexico-love-meet-houston-chef-hugo-ortega\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/mexico-love-meet-houston-chef-hugo-ortega\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/enchiladas_feature.jpg","datePublished":"2017-07-17T20:24:49+00:00","dateModified":"2021-08-24T20:18:42+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/#\/schema\/person\/3d0f46d40c9d1fdd1405ab7c76bc178e"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/mexico-love-meet-houston-chef-hugo-ortega\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/mexico-love-meet-houston-chef-hugo-ortega\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/mexico-love-meet-houston-chef-hugo-ortega\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/enchiladas_feature.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/enchiladas_feature.jpg","width":750,"height":368,"caption":"enchiladas de pollo y queso (chicken-and-cheese enchiladas)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/mexico-love-meet-houston-chef-hugo-ortega\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Stories","item":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/category\/stories\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Voicings","item":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/category\/stories\/voicings\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"From Mexico, With Love: Meet Houston Chef Hugo Ortega"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/#website","url":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/","name":"culture: the word on cheese","description":"Culture, America&#039;s magazine for cheese lovers, delivers stories about cheeses, cheesemakers, travel to gorgeous cheese regions, and practical tips on buying, presenting, and cooking with cheese.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/#\/schema\/person\/3d0f46d40c9d1fdd1405ab7c76bc178e","name":"Alyssa Kim","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/147ff501c1da04994896c3d2cd8c904e","url":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/10368310_10100947003803605_5735080190250376679_o-1-96x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/10368310_10100947003803605_5735080190250376679_o-1-96x96.jpg","caption":"Alyssa Kim"},"description":"Alyssa is culture's former Web Editor. Raised in Mass., she's excited to be back in her home state after six years of working in journalism and TV production in NYC.","url":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/author\/alyssa-kim\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31035","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/85"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31035"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31035\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30941"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31035"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31035"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31035"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=31035"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}