Born and raised in Bogota, Colombia, Carlos Torres became fond of the culinary arts at a young age. His father had always cooked at home. At the age of thirteen, an Italian friend of his father came to Colombia for a visit and taught him to make homemade pasta and tomato sauce from a traditional recipe. He spent two months mastering the dish and proudly prepared it to perfection for a family dinner. Torres and his brother eventually took a chance and opened a new concept restaurant in Bogota; it was then that he learned food would become his passion.
In 2003, at the age of 23, Torres and his future wife Angela moved to New York City so that he could pursue his dream to explore the culinary world. Upon moving, Torres took a job at the upscale restaurant Lucy Latin Kitchen. His fast learning and desire for continuing growth opened him doors to various learning opportunities. Eager to explore how to use Latin flavors in new contexts, and being taught to prepare more fascinating food with ingredients he had only used for ordinary dishes while growing up in Colombia; became the beginning of his journey.
After having experienced both restaurants (Pipa and Lucy) located next to each other, Torres decided to expand his expertise in Latin cuisine by seeking out the best Latin chef as his mentor, Douglas Rodriguez. In 2006, Torres took his wife and his résumé to Miami and landed a job at Douglas Rodriguez’s restaurant OLA where he worked for 3 years. Following his stint at OLA, Chef Douglas asked Torres to aid in the opening of his new restaurant De Rodriguez Cuba at the Astor followed by De Rodriguez Ocean in the Hilton Bentley Hotel where he also served as Executive Chef. During his time there, he defended this winner title competing against challenger Timon Balloo, Executive Chef of Sugarcane Raw Bar Grill during the Miami New Times Iron Fork Competition.
After six years of training under Chef Douglas, Torres became fluent in Latin cooking techniques, becoming creative with the flavors of Latin America and South Florida. At the start of 2012, he is excited to be out on his own as Executive Chef of 660 at The Angler’s. He intends to enhance the already-appetizing Contemporary American menu with Latin flavors and classic French cooking techniques. Torres believes that food should be treated with respect and aims to create delicately prepared dishes that will evoke warm memories for those who enjoy them. “I am indeed confident and proud that the abilities I bring to the table are expressed in my creations”
When Torres is not in the kitchen, he enjoys riding his motorcycle taking in the perfect views of Miami. As Executive Chef of 660 at The Angler’s, Torres looks forward to serving the Contemporary American food guests have known and loved with some locally-inspired additions.
