internal Animae Executive Chef Tara Luansin Monsod creates masterpieces in downtown San Diego.
“It’s comforting, warm and satisfying,” she said while making her signature short rib kare-kare dish.
Luansing Monsod prepares and presents peanut dishes with a balance of creativity and care. She explained why it is special to her.
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KPBS
“Kare-kare is quintessentially Filipino and was one of the first Filipino dishes I put on the menu. And the reason this is a big deal is because you rarely see Filipino food like this in an environment like this. ,” she said of fine dining.
That menu item and many others she cooked and hand-picked helped her become the prestigious competition’s first-ever San Diego finalist. 2024 James Beard Award for Best Chef: California.
The rankings began in 1990 and are like the Academy Awards of the culinary world.
“Honestly, I was overwhelmed. I didn’t know how to explain this feeling,” Luansin Monsod said of the news, which was announced in early April. “It’s like my mentality, I’m never satisfied. Or maybe I have impostor syndrome. How did that happen?”
Her path to get here wasn’t an easy one.
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KPBS
The 40-year-old originally pursued a career in nursing, but changed paths in her late 20s to follow her true calling.
“When I went to culinary school and took my first class, I knew I was in the right place,” Luansin Monsod said.
After graduating from culinary school, it took long days and nights working multiple jobs at restaurants, but she persevered.
She drew inspiration from her father’s artistry, her mother’s work ethic, and most importantly, her Filipino roots.
Luansin Monsod proudly displays her identity on her arm with a combination of tattoos that represent her love of food from her culture.
“To be good at it, you have to live and breathe it. It occupies a certain part of your brain and it never goes away. Like thinking about food all day every day. You don’t think about food at home. I look at it. It’s kind of ridiculous,” she said.
Since 2021, he has been the Executive Chef of Animae, an upscale Asian fusion restaurant. She is now heading into her new adventure as executive chef of the soon-to-open French steakhouse Le Coq in La Jolla.
So Luansin Monsod plans to continue to trust his intuition and realize the flavors he envisions in his head.
“How do you cook a dish? You can taste it. My brain can see it,” Luansin Monsod said. “I used to draw a lot when I was a child. I think I’m like my father in that respect, except that my medium is food.”
Charlotte Radulovich
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KPBS
Although she has a lot going on right now, the chef is taking it positively and staying true to her kind and humble self.
“It’s such an honor. And to be in the same category as other talented people makes me feel like, wow, all this hard work is actually paying off. Certainly with the right team. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have gotten all this attention or anything,” Luansin Monsod said.
There are four other finalists for the James Beard Awards 2024 Best Chef: California award. The winner will be announced on his June 10th in Chicago.
Luansin Monsod is planning to go and hopes to bring her mother and father, who are her biggest inspirations.
Charlotte Radulovich
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KPBS
“My mom is going. My dad might be going. My dad is a little more stubborn. He was like, ‘I have to watch the dog,'” she said with a laugh. “But he was like, ‘I’m going to watch over you and I’m going to continue to support you.'”
Short rib kare-kare tastes just like the chef envisioned: loving, extraordinary, and like a second home.
