DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) — Anthony Bourdain once said, “Food is everything we are. It’s an extension of nationalist feeling, ethnic feeling, your personal history, your province, your region.”
When it comes to Hispanic culture, many of the stories are told through food. And Chef Oscar Diaz continues to write his story and share it with people in the Triangle.
“So my parents are from Mexico. It’s a little town in Jalisco,” Diaz said. “Being a first-generation American, it’s kind of like a trip because, you know, in the house, we’re very Mexican. We spoke Spanish. My mom was a stay-at-home mom when I was younger. So we would eat dinner at 4. Church on Sundays, clean the house Saturday morning, like Saturday nights watching Don Francisco, Sábado Gigante.”
But outside of those four walls, a melting pot of cultures.
Oscar Diaz’s journey took him to some of the most world-renowned kitchens in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and back to Chicago before coming to North Carolina.
“I’m a product of a melting pot country. Growing up, our carne asada started very Mexican,” Diaz said. “And then our Polish neighbor would give us cucumbers and our Puerto Rican neighbors would make the rice, and then we’d bring in like leftover food from a Greek restaurant.”
Diaz’s journey took him to some of the most world-renowned kitchens in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and back to Chicago before getting a call from a friend to come check out North Carolina.
“He was in Cary. And he was like, ‘Hey, I’m out here. I’m at the restaurant. Help me put up a menu.’ And I didn’t know anything about North Carolina. As a matter of fact, I was calling it ‘Rally’ when I got here. People were like, ‘It’s Raleigh!'”
Oscar Diaz now has restaurants in Clayton, Burlington, Durham, and at Raleigh-Durham International Airport.
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Diaz now has a list of restaurants throughout the Triangle, including three in Durham: Aaktun, TaTaco, and Little Bull. But before that, he took his talents to the small screen, appearing on season 23 of Top Chef.
“Even when I watched it … especially when I got eliminated … you’re like, this is horrible! But that’s the point I’m in my life now,” Diaz said. “I think I view life a little bit (with) that crazy confidence or like slight ego that I might have had when I was younger is different now. I think I viewed things now through the lens of, like, gratitude. And you know what? What an awesome experience I was allowed to have in my life.”
Diaz now has restaurants in Clayton, Burlington, and even at Raleigh-Durham International Airport with his new concept, Adios.
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