Like thousands of chefs before him, Ramon Delgado’s first kitchen job was as a dishwasher. His journey to his first kitchen, however, is unlike many others.
Just barely 16 and the youngest of 11 children, he left his home and family in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico for a job in Palm Springs, California, having not a clue about the culinary journey that lay ahead.
“From the time I was a kid — seven, eight, nine years old — my best friend and I shared a dream to move to the U.S. together, wear Levi’s jeans, and ride a skateboard,” he said with a laugh. “We talked about it all the time. Unfortunately, that friend was killed in a car crash and part of my motivation was to do it for him, too.”
Palm Springs was a natural choice since an older brother was working at Bakers Square Restaurant & Bakery and a dishwashing job was waiting for him. A few months later, after the July 1986 earthquake, his brother headed back to Hermosillo.
Undeterred, even though he was living alone, finishing high school, and working two restaurant jobs, he forged ahead.
His tenure as a dishwasher lasted three months; one day the prep cook didn’t show up.
“I was in the right place at the right time,” he reminisced. “I was surrounded by good cooks who taught me the mechanics, their shortcuts, timing, even down to finding the hot spots on the grill. After a few weeks, I was working the line.”
Honing his craft in upscale kitchens led him to find his passion at Marriott Rancho Las Palmas Resort in Rancho Mirage, California. During his five-year stint, he rose through the ranks after attending Marriott Corporation Culinary School, learning all facets of culinary operations, and working banquet events and in the kitchen at their prestigious country club.
“We did massive banquets, like for 1,200 to 2,000 people,” he recalled. “It was a very structured kitchen. The recipes were all on index cards; you’d go through the files, find the recipes you needed, and cook exactly what was on the card.”
Yearning to get closer to family, he ignores a mentor’s advice to stay with Marriott and relocates to Tucson, and in 1993, started working under Chef Steven Schultz (now executive chef/owner of Wild Garlic Grill) at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort, and then at The Lodge at Ventana Canyon.
“I could have stayed with Marriott,” he said. “I was stubborn, and I know Tucson. I spoke with Chef and at the end, he asked, ‘Can you start tomorrow?’ I was there five years, exposed to so many foods, and we’ve remained friends.”
He credits acclaimed Chef Albert Hall of Acacia as the biggest influence in his culinary career.
“My mentor, Chef Albert Hall, steered me toward the best career path and made me feel ready for it.”
Chef Hall hired him to launch Hacienda Del Sol Guest Ranch Resort’s private dining program that would take place in the picturesque Casa Feliz. While it boasts amazing views, there was that one challenge: No kitchen to speak of, just an oven and a hot box. Everything had to be carried along the path from the kitchen to Casa Feliz; timing and temperature were crucial, with no room for error.
Chef Delgado didn’t let that get in the way of creating small, high-end gatherings. “My first thought was ‘What have I gotten myself into?’ It was rustic, to say the least.”
26 years later, in February 2023, after 10 1/2 years as the executive chef opening and overseeing dining concepts at Desert Diamond Casinos in Sahuarita and Tucson, corporate dining for Raytheon, executive sous chef at Omni Tucson National Resort, senior banquet chef at the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort, Chef Delgado was named Hacienda Del Sol’s executive chef, proving you can go home again.
He changes the menus twice a year and from studying his patrons’ demographics, he understands Hacienda Del Sol’s guests have sophisticated palates; that’s at the forefront when creating new offerings.
He analyzes everything from food and labor costs to the challenges each ingredient brings to a dish, what’s growing and available in the chef’s garden to what’s popular and trending in the food world.
It’s a given everything will be scrumptious and the menu balanced with a combination of customer favorites and new dishes. And with lots of pans up in the air all day every day, dishes have to be logical in their execution to prevent trouble from reigning.
“We’re just cooking, yet cooking is stressful,” he noted. “I like to create an environment to alleviate that stress and ensure everyone has the tools they need to do their job. I’m the calm around the chaos.”
He describes his native Sonoran cuisine as “never boring,” and it serves as inspiration as he loves bringing nuanced layers of flavors to everything he creates. “Layers of bold flavors, subtle piquant undertones, and always savory combinations contribute to a great dining experience,” he added.
From the youngster whose job in his mother’s kitchen was to char the chiles and tomatillos and flip the freshly made corn tortillas right off the grill, to the culinary artist who still derives pure pleasure from making a veal stock reduction to a mother sauce, Chef puts himself on the line for the meal he likes cooking most these days — Sunday brunch.
It harkens back to the early days when turning out 350-400 breakfasts daily in an everything-made-from-scratch kitchen while juggling six omelet pans was just all in a day’s work.
Outside the kitchen, Chef Delgado has been involved as an advisory board member at Pima Community College, (West Campus), The Art Institute of Tucson Culinary Program, and Joint Technical Education District (JTED).
He’s participated as a chef in local fundraising events for the following:
- American Liver Foundation
- Flavors of Tucson
- The Blake Foundation
- Celebrity Chefs Dinner
- The American Heart Association
- Share our Strength Foundation
- The Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance’s (SAACA) SAVOR Event
- Tucson 23
- Salsa, Tequila & Taco Challenge
- Tucson Originals
- Sun Sounds of Arizona Foundation
- The Steele Children’s Research Center
- University of Arizona, Father’s Day Council
- Tohono O’odham Community College
- Desert Diamond Casino Classic Teacher
Cooking/Nutrition class for United Way through their local program, “Cooking Matters for Child Care Professionals” certification
Chef Delgado takes great pride in paying it forward and mentoring the next generation of culinary professionals the same way the great cooks he worked with guided and taught him.
“It’s important and rewarding to share the wealth of knowledge we gain.”
Hacienda Del Sol Guest Ranch Resort is located at 5501 N. Hacienda Del Sol Rd. For more information, visit haciendadelsol.com.
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