Chicago is a lot of my background as a chef.

As long as you remember what you love and why you love it, it will never be far from your heart - or your plate.

Being Ecuadorian is, I don't want to say it's tough but it's... something special to me.

If you were a Colombian, you would have your version of an empanada. If you are an Argentinean, you might find a dough that's baked and has a butter sheen on it. And then in Ecuador, you'll find more crispy-fried empanadas. So, yeah, every culture has their own version of empanadas.

Don't be afraid to adapt new ingredients into your own techniques, and traditional ingredients into new recipes.

I think that a lot of us at home are iron chefs in their own right in that we have to come up with meals real quickly.

There a great ethnic cuisine available to you in Chicago.