Preview Ep. 1, Chirmol: How a Guatemalan Tradition Journeyed to an American Menu

In his restaurant Providence, Chef Michael Cimarusti has created one of the most elegant and sought after dining experiences in Los Angeles. One of his signature dishes, a prawn dish with salsa, adorned with delicate flowers was the creation of kitchen manager Jorge Dugal. Inspired by the Mayan traditions and memories of his youth, he was able to re-interpret his grandmother’s recipe for the fire-roasted tomato and chili base salsa called chirmol.

Behind each dish is a chef’s story, and behind the kitchen doors, there’s an immigrant’s journey to be chronicled as well. In this episode we meet Dugal whose account of struggle and survival is not unlike his peers who left everything behind for a chance to live in the United States for a better life. Eleven years ago, he fled violence and the pressure of gangs in his native Guatemala and joined his mother and brother Rigo in Los Angeles. Despite all this, he has been able to cling onto the better memories he had in Central America, even bringing some of his culture to white table-cloth restaurant, Providence, like the chirmol.