Restaurateur's childhood friend comes to Yuma as guest chef

Char-grilled rack of lamb, heirloom tomato and red onion salad, chicken wraps and crab cakes. Is your mouth watering yet?

If not, it will be when guest chef Isabel Cruz comes to Yuma to whip up her Latin and Pacific Rim-inspired creations tomorrow at Carla Reneé's, 265 S. Main St., starting at 5 p.m.

Carla Reneé, owner and chef of the Carla Reneé restaurant, said that she and Cruz have been good friends since high school, and Cruz is coming to Yuma to support Reneé and her restaurant.

"Over 20 years ago, (Cruz) and I used to do catering together. ... And she went on to do her first restaurant 20 some years ago, and here I am now 20 some years later doing my first restaurant."

Cruz will be the first in a series of guest chefs that Reneé said she plans to bring to her restaurant on a periodic basis.

Reneé and Cruz grew up together in Orange County, Calif. "I used to go to her family's house and have great meals (and) hang out with the mom and aunts and cook. It was fun and we loved it," said Reneé.

Reneé said that Cruz is a chef who has a passion for cooking. "She is very creative (and) she cooks from the heart. ... Lots of chefs will follow recipes, Cruz creates them. She has a real flair for a dish or a taste."

Cruz grew up in a large family. "My parents used to throw these crazy parties. The women would cook all day ..." said Cruz in her book "Isabel's Cantina: Bold Latin Flavors from the New California Kitchen."

"My father started inviting the neighbors so they wouldn't complain about the noise. ... Many of these neighbors - Puerto Rican, Cuban, Peruvian - would bring food, each with their distinct flavors and fragrances."

Cruz also "spent time in the kitchen with her Asian friends learning Japanese, Chinese and Korean cuisine."

Thursday at noon, Cruz, Reneé and chef Kyle Fplawn will be in the kitchen at Carla Reneé to begin preparing recipes from Cruz's book.

One of the recipes that Cruz will prepare is char-grilled rack of lamb with cinnamon and cumin. A few of the ingredients include: chili powder, ground cinnamon, ground cumin, fresh ginger, tomatoes, honey, cilantro, and of course lamb with a mint dressing.

"The aromatic marinade is most of the work here. The smoky flavors of the marinade meld beautifully with the lamb and the bold Mint Mojo," Cruz said in her book.

Cruz will also create her own unique dishes on site, along with cocktails like the jalapeno martini.

"It's great to see her flourish," said Reneé. "I'm so proud of her. She has gone from one restaurant to five restaurants. She's got a cookbook out (and) she has a husband, she has kids. She's doing it all."

Reneé encourages area residents to come and taste Isabel Cruz's food. "It's different, it's refreshing, it's beautiful (and) it tastes even better."


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GUEST CHEF ISABEL CRUZ

Thursday, Isabel Cruz will be a guest chef at Carla Reneé, 265 S. Main St., starting at 5 p.m. She will also have a book signing. Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling Carla Reneé at 782-0499.

Isabel Cruz has five restaurants on the West Coast. They are: Coffee Cup in La Jolla, Calif., Isabel's Cantina and Seaside Cantina in San Diego, Calif., Dragonfly in Ashland, Ore., and Isabel in Portland, Ore.


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Jennifer Lovell can be reached at
jlovell@yumasun.com or 539-6849.