Culinary Q&A: Meet Chef Juno Ignacio

When you operate a commercial demo kitchen, a place we refer to as The Wedge, it's important to have the culinary talent to help make the most of that space. That's why we've assembled a world-class duo of chefs with much to offer our customers. They use their culinary backgrounds to help foodservice operators across California and Nevada to become more efficient and profitable.

We took a few minutes to sit down with one of our chefs, Juno Ignacio, to get his thoughts about everything foodservice industry related. Here's what he said...

Hi Juno, let's start by discussing how you entered the culinary field.

Chef Juno: Ever since I was a little kid, I have always been around my mom when she cooked, so I knew I had it in me. I joined the USAF, and that’s when I first worked as a foodservice specialist. I did plenty of other jobs, but my main job was cooking, especially when we were in war conditions. I went to culinary school after I was medically retired from the military. I joined Pro Reps West in 2015 after working at a restaurant for 10 months.

What about your expectations? Is there something that has completely lived up to what you thought it would be like working in the foodservice industry?

Coming out of culinary school, my expectations were realistic that as an entry-level cook or chef, I would be working long hours and getting paid less than the minimum, but that’s okay because I absolutely love what I do as a profession. Working for Pro Reps changed that, and I couldn’t be happier to be a part of this company.

Have there been any disappointments?

As a chef, not really.

Who are your biggest influences today? Do you follow the careers of any local chefs?

I watched a lot of Food Network and NETFLIX, so there are a lot of influences to mention. 😊 I do follow Chris Bianco from Pizzeria Bianco since I am all about pizza right now.

What makes his pizzas great?

Chris Bianco’s passion and resilience are what move me. If you've ever had his pizza, you would appreciate his passion for making a great pizza.

How do you feel about the industry as a whole? Where do you think we're at today, and where are we headed?

I think the industry is in great shape. Being in the industry for eight years, I have seen a steady increase in our business, minus the COVID years. We are posed to keep growing our business. Definitely stoked about that.

What are the top challenges operators face today? And how can you see foodservice equipment helping to solve them?

In the last few years, there have been issues with supply shortages which cause lead time delays. I think that situation is getting better, so that helps.

Do you encourage operators to demo different types of equipment before purchasing? Why is that important?

I do, and we do an amazing job on our demos. It’s always nice to see a piece of equipment, especially equipment that the operators are unfamiliar with, and see how that equipment can work to be a solution in their operations.

Pro Reps West has recently opened a great culinary resource called The Wedge. Tell us a little about it.

The Wedge is the place to be. It’s our playground, but seriously it’s a great place for our culinary team to provide demos, training events, lunch and learns, menu development, and tasting events which is the core of what we do as chefs. The Wedge is where you can see all our equipment lines in action. We also have a showroom showcasing the rest of our lines. The Wedge is a place where all our customers are welcome.

What's the one piece of equipment you'd encourage all end users to consider?

Hmmmm, where do I begin? Did I tell you I love making pizza? So number one on my list is a brick pizza oven, but I think Convotherm combi oven is essential to all kitchens. It’s just a piece of kitchen equipment that can basically do it all. You can streamline a kitchen design if a combi is installed and, at the same time, expand your menu. 

Chef Juno, thanks so much for telling us a bit about yourself and your take on the foodservice industry. How can people learn more about you and leverage your foodservice knowledge to help their businesses?

Come visit us at The Wedge. We'd love to host you.