Byron Gomez facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Byron Gomez
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Gomez in 2024
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| Born |
Byron Jose Gomez Chacon
June 6, 1988 |
| Alma mater | Eastern Suffolk Boces Oakdale Campus, Oakdale NY. |
| Occupation | Chef |
| Years active | 2004-present |
| Television | Top Chef (season 18) |
Byron Gomez (born June 6, 1988) is a famous chef from Costa Rica. He is also a TV personality, a supporter for immigrants, and a book author. He was a contestant on season 18 of Bravo's cooking show Top Chef: Portland. Gomez has worked in many top-rated restaurants, including Eleven Madison Park in New York City. His cooking style uses ideas from his Costa Rican background. He focuses on making food in a way that is good for the planet, using special cooking methods, and creating fancy dishes. He often gets ideas from art, nature, and different cultures.
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Early Life and Learning to Cook
Byron Gomez was born in Heredia, Costa Rica. He moved to the United States when he was eight years old. He is part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. This program helps young immigrants who came to the U.S. as children.
He grew up in Central Islip, on Long Island. When he was 15, he got his first job at a Burger King restaurant. After that summer, Chef Gomez wanted to learn more about cooking. He went to a special school called a vocational school during his last year of high school. This school, the Eastern Suffolk BOCES Oakdale Campus in Oakdale, New York, taught him skills for a job.
His interest in cooking grew when he was a teenager. This led him to work in different kitchens on Long Island. After finishing high school in the mid-2000s, Gomez decided to move to New York City to continue his cooking journey.
Chef's Career Journey
Gomez worked in several restaurants in New York City. He was inspired to work for a famous chef named Daniel Boulud at Cafe Boulud. While working with Daniel Boulud, Gomez saw a chance to learn from his mentors. He learned a lot by working extra days for free, which is called "staging."
Gomez says this was like his culinary school because he did not go to a traditional cooking school. He wanted to learn from the best chefs. After working with Daniel Boulud for five years, Gomez decided to try new things. He used all the classic French cooking skills he had learned.
Next, Gomez worked at a two-star Michelin restaurant called Atera. Michelin stars are a way to rate very high-quality restaurants. Atera's food was inspired by Scandinavian cooking. After about a year and a half at Atera, he aimed for a three-star Michelin restaurant, Eleven Madison Park, in early 2017.
In 2017, Eleven Madison Park was named the number one restaurant by Worlds 50 Best Restaurants. Gomez became a sous chef there, working under Chef Daniel Humm. A sous chef is like the second-in-command in the kitchen. After some time in New York City, Gomez helped with the restaurant's temporary pop-up restaurants in the Hamptons and Aspen. He then moved to Aspen, Colorado, and became the head chef at 7908 Aspen from 2019 to 2022.
In 2023, he opened Pollo Tico at Avanti Food & Beverage in Boulder. This restaurant serves Costa Rican rotisserie chicken and homemade Latin dishes. These dishes are inspired by his mother’s recipes. After Pollo Tico, Gomez became a chef-partner at BRUTØ. He worked with Kelly Whitaker, who won the James Beard Foundation Restaurateur of the Year award. BRUTØ is a Michelin-starred restaurant in Downtown Denver.
TV Shows and Entertainment
Byron Gomez has appeared on many TV shows. He competed on Top Chef and was a judge on Chopped and Alex vs America. In 2025, he was featured on Food Network’s Hot List.
Gomez has been on several cooking TV programs. These include Top Chef: Portland, Bobby’s Triple Threat, Last Bite Hotel, Beat Bobby Flay, and Chopped. He has also been a guest on many food and culture podcasts. Some of these are Food & Wine Magazine’s Tinfoil Swans, Food Network Obsessed, and iHeartRadio’s Rising Star Chef in America.
Personal Life
Byron Gomez has openly talked about his experiences as an immigrant and a DACA recipient. He also shares his journey of overcoming challenges in the restaurant world. He often talks about how important cultural diversity and strength are in his work.
See also
- Bobby's Triple Threat
- Top Chef: Portland
- Beat Bobby Flay
