Wikipedia

Draft:Victor Albisu

Victor Albisu
Albisu stirs a pot of risotto while another person looks on
Albisu in 2010
Born1974 or 1975 (age 49–50)
EducationGeorge Mason University, Le Cordon Bleu
Culinary career
Current restaurant(s)
    • Taco Bamba
Previous restaurant(s)
    • Del Campo
    • Poca Madre

Victor Albisu (born 1974 or 1975[1]) is an American chef and restaurateur. A graduate of George Mason University in Virginia and Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, he was executive chef at BLT Steak, a steakhouse in Washington, D.C., until 2012 when he left to open his own restaurants. He has created fine-dining restaurants Del Campo and Poca Madre in D.C., and the chain of taquerias Taco Bamba, which has 15 locations in the D.C. area and nearby states. [2] In 2015, the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington named him chef of the year, and in 2016 and 2020, he was a semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation Award for best chef in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Early life and education

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Albisu was born to a Cuban father and Peruvian mother; his grandfather was a baker in Cuba.[3] Albisu grew up in Annandale, Virginia and worked at his mother Rosa Susinski's nearby Latin market.[4][5] He attended Annandale High School,[6] then George Mason University in Virginia, graduating in 1999 with a bachelor’s degree in politics and international relations.[7] He later attended Le Cordon Bleu in Paris.[8]

Career

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After college, Albisu worked in international development before becoming a chef.[9]

Fine dining

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In December 2007, Albisu became chef de cuisine,[10] then later executive chef at BLT Steak, a steakhouse in Washington, D.C. popular with the Obama family.[11] Albisu also cooked at the White House for the Obamas, and previously for George W. Bush.[12] In 2011, he won a competition hosted by Eater in honor of the Obamas’ love of burgers, preparing a Kobe beef burger with cheddar, ketchup and wild ramp dijon mustard, nods to Michelle Obama’s preference for Kobe beef and Barack Obama’s taste for spicy mustard and spicy greens.[13] Albisu left BLT Steak in 2012 to open his own restaurants.[14]

In 2013, he opened Del Campo, an upscale South American grill in the Chinatown neighborhood of D.C. Esquire named it to a list of best new restaurants in the country, with critic John Mariani praising Albisu’s "phenomenal cooking".[15] A review in Condé Nast Traveler said, "D.C. is notoriously plagued by mediocre steakhouses, but this Argentine-style parilla in the Penn Quarter ain’t one of them,"[16] commending the South American wines on offer, the Peruvian fish dishes like ceviche, as well as the "toothsome" of roast meats with chimichurri and salsa.[16] In The Washington Post, Tom Sietsema gave the restaurant two-and-a-half stars, indicating good-to-excellent.[2] In 2015, the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington named him chef of the year,[17] and in 2016, Albisu was a semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation Award for best chef in the Mid-Atlantic region.[18]

In 2018, Albisu converted Del Campo into an upscale Mexican restaurant called Poca Madre.[19] In 2019, Sietsema listed Poca Madre at number six of the 10 best restaurants in D.C., highlighting "game-changer" dishes centered on vegetables like charred cabbage with mole and oxtail jam, or mango with chile, lime and charred habanero oil in ceviche.[20] In 2020, Albisu was again a semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation Award for best chef, Mid-Atlantic region.[21]

Poca Madre closed on March 16, 2020 when D.C. implemented a dine-in moratorium due to the COVID-19 pandemic; the restaurant did not reopen, closing permanently in September 2020.[22][23]

Taco Bamba

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In June 2013, Albisu opened Taco Bamba,[24] a fast-casual taqueria in the Falls Church, Virginia shopping center with his mother’s market, Plaza Latina.[25] Named for Peruvian slang for "inauthentic", Taco Bamba offered both traditional tacos and more inventive versions, like . Esquire called Taco Bamba “some of the best tacos on the East Coast.”[26] In September 2016, Albisu opened a second location in Vienna, Virginia.[27] Washingtonian magazine described the Vienna menu as a “love letter to Northern Virginia”, with a “7 Corners Shrimp” taco honoring Eden Center’s hub of Vietnamese restaurants and “Bulgogi Bullfight” drawing on Annandale’s Koreatown neighborhood.[28]

When the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020, Taco Bamba had five locations, with half of revenue coming from dine-in customers.[29] Albisu laid off 100 people and closed the D.C. store,[29] which was adjacent to Poca Madre. He converted the four Virginia locations to takeout-only, then introduced delivery service, which helped keep more staff employed.[30] By the end of April 2020, Albisu said sales had almost returned to pre-pandemic levels even as the restaurants remained empty.[30]

In 2021, Investors Management Corporation, parent company to the restaurant chain Golden Corral,[31] acquired a stake in the business with the goal of creating a national chain.[6] As of June 2024, Taco Bamba has 15 locations,[32] in the D.C. area as well as Richmond, Virginia,[33] Raleigh, North Carolina, and Nashville, Tennessee.

Awards

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Personal life

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Albisu is married and has two sons.[35][9]

References

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  1. ^ Sietsema, Tom (24 May 2023). "At Del Campo, a reimagined tour of South America, noodles included". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 24 November 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  2. ^ a b Sietsema, Tom (2023-05-18). "Tom Sietsema: Del Campo offers smoke, fire and flavor". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
  3. ^ Rothstein, Betsy (2008-12-09). "Chef 101 With Victor Albisu of BLT Steak". The Hill. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  4. ^ Frederick, Missy (2014-05-09). "Taco Bamba, a Mother/Son Affair; STK Shenanigans". Eater DC. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
  5. ^ Miles, Vernon (2021-06-15). "For Taco Bamba owner, newly announced Landmark location is a homecoming". ALXnow. Archived from the original on 2024-09-01. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
  6. ^ a b Sernovitz, Daniel J. (November 5, 2021). "Exclusive: Taco Bamba brings on partner, plots nationwide expansion". Washington Business Journal. Archived from the original on 2024-09-01. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
  7. ^ Johnson, Greg (June 1, 2023). "Mason alumnus chef influences region's culture through his restaurants". Costello College of Business. Archived from the original on 2023-06-28. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
  8. ^ Sargent, Stephanie (2024-06-24). "Taco Bamba founder Chef Victor Albisu's journey to Nashville's culinary scene". The News. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
  9. ^ a b Van Zandt, Emily (March 23, 2017). "Victor Albisu". Washington Business Journal. Archived from the original on 2021-08-01. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  10. ^ Oczypok, Kate (May 7, 2008). "BLT Steak carves its niche". The Hill.
  11. ^ Sidman, Jessica (2024-07-09). "BLT Steak Has Closed in DC". Washingtonian. Archived from the original on 2024-08-31. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
  12. ^ Steinhauer, Jennifer (2018-12-14). "Trump Kicks Away Obama Traditions Even at the Dinner Table". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2022-11-25. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  13. ^ McKeever, Amy (2011-04-27). "Chefs Todd Gray, Victor Albisu And Brian McBride Compete In Eater DC's Obama Burger Challenge". Eater DC. Archived from the original on 2024-03-03. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  14. ^ McKeever, Amy (2012-03-06). "Executive Chef Victor Albisu Leaves BLT Steak". Eater DC. Archived from the original on 2023-09-27. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
  15. ^ Carman, Tim (2021-12-03). "How Del Campo made Esquire's list of America's best new restaurants". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
  16. ^ a b "Review: Del Campo". Condé Nast Traveler. Archived from the original on 2023-01-30. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
  17. ^ a b Hiatt, Gabe (2018-12-07). "How D.C.'s Mexican Food Mad Scientist Makes a Ramen Taco Work". Eater DC. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
  18. ^ Frederick, Missy (2016-02-17). "Kinship and The Dabney Are Among This Year's James Beard Award Semifinalists". Eater DC. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  19. ^ Mitchell, Travis (June 18, 2018). "First Look: Chef Victor Albisu Goes Upscale With Mexican-Inspired Poca Madre". DCist. Archived from the original on 2024-08-31. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
  20. ^ Sietsema, Tom (2019-10-10). "Review | Poca Madre starts to sparkle". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 2022-10-18. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  21. ^ a b "These 21 D.C.-Area Restaurants And Chefs Are James Beard Semifinalists". DCist. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
  22. ^ Sullivan, Jenny (2021-04-19). ""We've All Been Through It This Year"". Arlington Magazine. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
  23. ^ Hiatt, Gabe (2020-09-08). "Inventive Mexican Restaurant Poca Madre Has Permanently Closed in Penn Quarter". Eater DC. Archived from the original on 2024-02-29. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  24. ^ Sietsema, Tom (2021-12-03). "It's Taco Bamba time: Victor Albisu's Falls Church taqueria opens June 17". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  25. ^ Gutierrez-Jones, Jackie (2024-03-01). "A Bastion of Pimento Cheese Empanadas and Catfish Tacos Arrives in Green Hills". Eater Nashville. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
  26. ^ Erickson, Nate (2018-04-24). "The Gringa Will Be the Best Taco You Ever Eat". Esquire. Archived from the original on 2024-09-01. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  27. ^ Carman, Tim (2021-12-02). "The first 100 customers at the new Taco Bamba receive free tacos for a year". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 2020-10-09. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  28. ^ Spiegel, Anna (2017-01-05). "The New Taco Bamba Is a Love Letter to Northern Virginia". Washingtonian. Archived from the original on 2024-05-20. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  29. ^ a b Lalley, Heather (April 26, 2020). "Emerging chains flip from growth mode to survival". Restaurant Business. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  30. ^ a b Feldman, Jess (2020-04-27). "Table for None: 'It's very surreal' says Victor Albisu of NoVA's Taco Bamba". Northern Virginia Magazine. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  31. ^ Lalley, Heather (November 9, 2021). "Golden Corral parent partners to expand Taco Bamba". Restaurant Business. Archived from the original on 2023-11-28. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  32. ^ Dickerson, Trevor (3 June 2024). "Taco Bamba set to open first Richmond location at Willow Lawn Tuesday". RVAHub. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  33. ^ Peifer, Karri (May 30, 2024). "Taco Bamba's first Richmond location opens June 4". Axios.
  34. ^ "Victor Albisu". James Beard Foundation. Archived from the original on 2023-12-02. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
  35. ^ Rothstein, Betsy (2008-12-09). "Chef 101 With Victor Albisu of BLT Steak". The Hill. Retrieved 2024-09-01.


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