Local Business Spotlight: Canyon Tavern and Wondervu Cafe under new management (with Mauro Gomez and Oscar Padilla)

Send us Fan MailChef Oscar Padilla has been working in and running restaurants for over twenty-five years. Born in Los Angeles, he grew up in Mexico City with his grandmother, observing and admiring her culinary techniques, particularly her preparation of traditional Mexican dishes.Inspired to pursue a culinary career, he studied and worked in Mexico City, establishing his reputation when he joined the culinary team of The Club de Banqueros. After his time there, he moved to the United States to continue his career path.Padilla’s reputation caught the attention of Chef Richard Sandoval, who brought Padilla onto his team. They worked together in New York and Denver, and under Sandoval’s mentorship, Padilla opened restaurants and trained culinary teams in locations such as Costa Rica, Dubai, Doha, and Chicago. Padilla has continued building his reputation, even winning as a contestant on the cooking show Chopped (in season 54, episode 7, titled "Pig Candy," to be precise).Through working with Sandoval at his hospitality in Denver, Padilla met Mauro Gomez, the Director of Operations at the time, who has also had a culinary career spanning over two decades. Working in global hospitality management at Starwood Hotels and Resorts for eleven years, he also led food and beverage operations for Ritz-Carlton Hotels & Resorts in Doha and Dubai after his time working with Sandoval.In 2021, after years of growing their friendship and partnership, Padilla and Gomez decided to start their own partnership. Together, they founded Balam Culinary Collective, which manages three restaurants in the Freedom Street Social food court in Candelas – Gaucho Parilla, Chulo Taco, and Santa Fe Seaviche and Chippery. Padilla’s wife, Norma, is the collective’s Head of Finance.Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here. Support the showThank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at [email protected] Hickman, multimedia producer, at [email protected] Lammers, podcast host, at [email protected] inquiries: [email protected] to our website for all of the latest news. Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.earListen and watch on YouTube today.Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.Thank you for listening!