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Byron Gomez
Born
Byron Jose Gomez Chacon

(1988-06-06) June 6, 1988 (age 37)
Heredia, Costa Rica
Alma materEastern Suffolk Boces Oakdale Campus, Oakdale NY.
OccupationChef
Years active2004-present
TelevisionTop Chef (season 18)
Websitechefbyrongomez.com

Byron Gomez (born June 6, 1988) is a Costa Rican celebrity chef, T.V personality, immigrant advocate and book author. He competed on season 18 of Bravo's Top Chef: Portland.[1][2] Gómez has worked in several Michelin-starred restaurants, including Eleven Madison Park in New York City.[3] His cooking style incorporates influences from his Costa Rican heritage and emphasizes sustainability, fermentation, and fine dining techniques, often drawing inspiration from art, nature, and cultural traditions.[4][5]

Early life and education

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Gomez was born in Heredia, Costa Rica, and immigrated to the United States at the age of eight.[6] He is a recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.[3] Growing up in Central Islip, Long Island.[7] At the age of 15 years old he got his official first restaurant job at Burger King. After that summer Chef Gomez decided to continue moving on up. Leading him to attend a vocational school during his senior year of high school at the Eastern Suffolk BOCES Oakdale Campus in Oakdale, New York. His interest in cooking developed during his teenage years which led him through various kitchens on Long Island. Upon graduating high school mid 2000's.[8]

Gomez then decided to make a move to New York City.[9] His interest in culinary arts started at a young age and after several years cooking on Long Island, he set his sights on New York City.[10]

Career

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Gomez worked in a series of restaurants until being inspired to work for Daniel Boulud at Cafe Boulud.[7] During his time with Daniel Boulud, he saw an opportunity to learn from one of his mentors through the numerous restaurant concepts in Dinex. He began to stage on his only days off.[11]

Gomez describes this as his culinary school. Not having gone to culinary school he wanted to learn from the best so he sought out after every opportunity he came across. After working under Daniel Boulud for 5 years, Gomez decided it was time to move on and start from a new place.[7] Taking all he learned in classical french cuisine. Gomez worked at 2 star Michelin restaurant Atera, which was influenced by Scandinavian cuisine under Ronny Emborg.[12][13] After 1.5 years at Atera, he wanted to finish the race and had his target at 3 star Michelin restaurant Eleven Madison Park early 2017.

In 2017, Eleven Madison Park was recognized by Worlds 50 Best Restaurants as their number 1 restaurant. He became a sous chef at Eleven Madison Park under Daniel Humm.[3] After some time in New York City, Gomez participated in the restaurant's pop-up experiences in the Hamptons and Aspen.[9] He later decided to leave his home of New York and moved to Aspen, Colorado, becoming executive chef at 7908 Aspen in 2019 to 2022.[14][15][16]

In 2023, he opened Pollo Tico at Avanti Food & Beverage in Boulder, offering Costa Rican rotisserie chicken and homestyle Latin dishes inspired by his mother’s recipes.[17] After Pollo Tico his fast casual Costa Rican rotisserie chicken concept, Gomez became chef-partner at BRUTØ with Kelly Whitaker who won James Beard Foundation Restaurateur of the year , Bruto is a Michelin-starred restaurant in Downtown Denver.[18][19]

Television and entertainment  

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Gómez’s television appearances range from competing on Top Chef to judging on Chopped and Alex vs America. In 2025, he was included in Food Network’s Hot List.[19] Gómez has appeared on several culinary television programs, including Top Chef: Portland, Bobby’s Triple Threat, Last Bite Hotel, Beat Bobby Flay, Wear Whatever the F You Want, and Chopped.[20][21][22][23] He has also been featured on multiple food and culture podcasts, such as Food & Wine Magazine’s Tinfoil Swans, Food Network Obsessed, Andrew Talks to Chefs, iHeartRadio’s Rising Star Chef in America, Flavors Unknown, Chef’s Roll, and Immigration Nerds.[7][24]

Personal life

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Gomez has spoken publicly about his experiences as an immigrant and DACA recipient.[25] He has also shared his journey to sobriety and challenges in the restaurant industry. He often emphasizes the importance of cultural diversity and resilience in his work.[26]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Meet Colorado's "Top Chef" Season 18 contestant, Byron Gomez". The Know. 2021-03-31. Retrieved 2021-06-25.
  2. ^ "Byron Gomez". Bravo TV Official Site. 2021-02-08. Retrieved 2021-06-25.
  3. ^ a b c Saxena, Jaya (2022-06-23). "'The Only Reason I'm a Chef Today Is Because of DACA'". Eater. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  4. ^ Wilson, Stephanie (2024-11-01). "Brutø: Denver Brutalist Restaurant". Denver Life Magazine. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  5. ^ "'Top Chef' Byron Gomez on cuisine, culture and bringing Costa Rica to Colorado with Pollo Tico". Colorado Public Radio. 2023-03-06. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  6. ^ "He Dreamed of Being A Policeman and Today He Is The First Costa Rican Chef with A Michelin Star ⋆ The Costa Rica News". The Costa Rica News. 2025-03-13. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  7. ^ a b c d "Here's How Chef Byron Gomez Went From Burger King to Michelin-Starred Restaurants". Food & Wine. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  8. ^ "'Top Chef' Byron Gomez on cuisine, culture and bringing Costa Rica to Colorado with Pollo Tico". Colorado Public Radio. 2023-03-06. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  9. ^ a b "LI contestant competes in new season of 'Top Chef'". Newsday. Archived from the original on 2021-03-31. Retrieved 2021-06-25.
  10. ^ "Byron Gomez". 7908 Aspen. Retrieved 2021-06-25.
  11. ^ Robbie, Erica (2021-03-19). "Byron Gomez: A chef's success story". Aspen Daily News. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  12. ^ Martin, Molly. "Sneak Peek: Top Chef Alum Byron Gomez Is Ready for His Brutø Debut". Westword. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  13. ^ O'Neill, Lily (2024-01-26). ""Top Chef" alum will be Michelin-starred Brutø's new executive chef". The Denver Post. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  14. ^ Gupta, Boshika (2021-03-30). "The Truth About Byron Gomez From Top Chef Season 18". Mashed.com. Retrieved 2021-06-25.
  15. ^ Matters, Amanda RaeFood. "Food Matters: Summer Synergy". www.aspentimes.com. Retrieved 2021-06-25.
  16. ^ Hayes, Linda. "Dishin' It: Chef Byron Gomez Shares His Road to Top Chef". Dishin' It. Archived from the original on 2021-07-09.
  17. ^ "Top Chef Byron Gomez brings a little Costa Rican flavors to Boulder". KDVR. January 26, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
  18. ^ "The 2023 (lets look into updating the 2023 to 2024 michelin colorado guide, their website should have my updated information from 2023 to 2024) Michelin Guide Colorado". Michelin Guide. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
  19. ^ a b "Michelin-starred Denver chef named to Food Network's annual Hot List". The Denver Post. 2025-03-06. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  20. ^ Bloom, Mike (2021-06-07). "Top Chef Portland's Byron Gomez on Competing With 'Pride and Awareness'". Parade. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  21. ^ "Titans vs Byron Gomez". Food Network. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  22. ^ "Meet the Chefs Competing on Last Bite Hotel". Food Com. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  23. ^ "In Perfect "Hominy"". Food Network. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  24. ^ Byron Gomez, 2025 Hot List Honoree | Food Network Obsessed. 2025-03-07. Retrieved 2025-04-21 – via shows.acast.com.
  25. ^ "Byron Gomez". Kalamata's Kitchen. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  26. ^ Emmanuel (2022-05-24). "How Confidence Helped Top Chef Byron Gomez Figure Out His Cuisine". Flavors Unknown. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
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