CHEF GENE GONZALEZ

That Cheshire Cat grin speaks volumes about this gentleman who is always up to something.

Gene Gonzalez is of a rare breed: a true Renaissance man. He’s a chef, first and foremost, but before he embraced his true calling, he was a banker. The call of the kitchen proved irresistible, however, and with the indefatigable, reckless confidence of a 23-year old, he opened Café Ysabel. That restaurant has since become legend, and over the past three decades, it’s become the benchmark for fine romantic dining.

But this restaurateur was never one to rest on his laurels. I imagine that if he lived in the late 19th century, he’d be Jose Rizal’s bosom buddy, and the two gentlemen probably would have traveled the world together. They share many of the same interests: painting and fencing, to name just two. Both are also fine writers and influential authors, but most of all, they have enjoyed more than their fair share of women’s attention.

Gene has a new book in the works, and it promises to be as revealing, and as randy, as Anthony Bourdain’s seminal “Kitchen Confidential”. The next chapters of this raconteur’s great adventure are coming soon.