Miss Austin: HUNKS OF THE WEEK

YES! I'm fucking starving over here. I have been on the man meat hunt all summer. Cruising the east side, south side, North Loop, pretty much everywhere except Round Rock (we all know the nonsense up there). During this Hunk vision quest, I came across not one, but TWO Hunks who are doing their thing at the widely popular and delicious, Qui restaurant on E. 6th St. Yes, TWO! Sure, we all love Paul Qui and what he is doing to our tastebuds, but who are the men on the frontline of these culinary-gasms? I want to know. YOU want to know.

Meet, Jorge Hernandez and Christian Camacho, our Hunks of the Week!

Jorge Hernandez and Christian Camacho
Photo courtesy of Cecilia Alejandra

Name: Jorge Hernandez, 30, Chef at Qui

Name: Christian Camacho, 30, Morning prep at Qui

Tell us a little about your culinary history. Are you a Texas native? Where have you lived and/or traveled?

JH: I grew up in San Antonio. Went to college here in Austin, culinary school in New York. I spent the last six years in Washington, DC working for Jose Andres. In those six years my favorite travels have been our many trips to Spain and our one short trip to Copenhagen, Denmark. But, we also opened restaurants in Las Vegas, LA, Miami, so there was no shortage of good traveling. It was a great six years with Jose Andres, but along the way I had met Paul. We talked about his plans for his restaurant. We talked about the Austin food scene. And, here I am. I’ve only been an Austinite for a few months, from day one it felt like home. And we are still planning to travel. We’re heading to Portland next month (my first time). And I’m dying to go to Japan and Philippines with Paul.

CC: Before coming to Qui I spent just under seven and a half years at Uchi, five of which were as a sushi chef. I have lived in Texas my whole life, born in Houston and raised in McAllen. The last ten years I have been here in Austin. After my second year as a sushi chef I took a month off and traveled Japan and New York. I am planning to get to Europe next year.

Tell us something we don’t already know about Qui. Spill some goods! Any dishes we should try? Upcoming features? Secret tastings? Blow-our-mind preparation techniques?

JH: Honestly, just come in and eat. There are no secrets here. We have an open kitchen. All of our top secret notes are out on the board in the dining room for everyone to see. It’s a great environment. If you want to know how we make something, hell, we’ll show you. We are always tasting new things. The menu changes daily. A lot of those daily changes represent concepts that we want to explore for the upcoming tasting menu. So you want a sneak peek in the evolution of a dish, try the unique items on the menu, and try them often. All of our dishes evolve. It’s pretty cool.

CC: I come from a sushi background so being to this side of a kitchen really has me focused on the job at hand. Seeing one of the chef's prepare fresh pasta reminds me of the effort I would put into my sushi rice. When I started they had a green tea and spinach pasta that was delicious and very inspiring to me.

What do you love most about Austin?

JH : I’d have to say the sunsets over downtown Austin. Something about being in a city and still being able to see that much sky is just breathtaking. After years on the East Coast, you really appreciate things like that.

Where do you like to hangout (so Miss Austin fans can stalk you)?

JH: 99% of my time is spent at Qui! Apart from that you’ll run into me almost daily at Salt & Time on East 7^th St to talk about meat with the boys! Or after work you can find me at East Side King food truck at Liberty Bar or the Grackle.
CC: I usually head for lunch at Royal Blue on Congress and 6th. The women who work there are cute and the people watching is great from their sidewalk seating. During the summer, I am a big fan of the summer film series at the Paramount and Barton Springs.

What are your thoughts on the culinary scene in Austin? Do you find it exciting? Challenging?

JH: I am definitely excited. I remember when I first thought about moving back to Texas, everyone on the East Coast said, “you’ll get bored” and even chefs here said, “the talent pool is so minimal” or “you can’t be creative here”. I have found the exact opposite to be true. I’m more impressed with the level of cooks and chefs here than I have been in DC or even NYC for that matter. I think that the food scene in Austin is turning into chefs and restaurateurs who are no longer saying, “oh, this is good, for Austin.” It’s more just, “this is good, for anywhere.” Austin legitimately has a place on the American culinary map, and I think that it’s only going to grow from there.
CC: The culture is thriving right now thanks to some very talented people in kitchens around town. The support that we are all getting from Austin is incredible.

Can you recommend a drinking or dining establishment to our audience – other than Qui? Why are you a fan?

CC: I like early mornings at Elizabeth St. That place really has a beauty to it around the time the doors open for business. I like having their egg white and mushroom banh mi and jasmine tea.

JH: My favorite meal so far has been at Sway Thai. The food is great, atmosphere is cool, and the service was spot-on. You could put that restaurant in any major city and it would do well. For cocktails, I’d say Weather Up. They just do it right.

What is your deal breaker at a restaurant? What is your deal breaker in relationships, and are you single or taken?

JH: At a restaurant: I just want to feel and know that a lot of thought and care was put into the restaurant. Regardless of its style or price point, you can always tell when a team puts conscious effort into the service, the food, the atmosphere. I think that a genuine expression of hospitality is what it’s all about. If that’s not there, it’s not worth it.

Relationships: same thing. You have to genuinely put thought and care into every aspect of the relationship. It’s the only way to make and sustain a connection. I have an amazing girlfriend, who is also an Austin restaurant babe.

CC: No real deal breakers for me when it comes to eating out. In relationships...that depends on the woman and situation. And, I'm single.

As you know, Austin has such a lively arts scene: music, visual arts, street crazies, etc. Have you been to any memorable shows lately? Who are your favorite local bands? Are any of these artforms inspiring to your craft?

CC: I don't go to many concerts these days but I spend a lot of time at the Alamo Drafthouse and Violet Crown cinemas downtown.

JH: At Qui we have these great relationships with local artists. From the team at Windmill Bicycles who made our cool bike rack, to Yellow from Peelander Z who painted our walls, to Keith Kreeger who made our plates, they are all a big inspiration. As far as music goes, my favorite local band lately is a folk band, called Hello Wheels.

I love music videos. Some bands are keeping them alive and loud, which makes my little lady heart happy. I often use them as a gauge to judge personality and compatibility. Which music video would you say speaks to you the most and why?

CC: The last two artists whose videos I enjoyed were Daft Punk and Kate Bush. The Soul Train compilation videos for this last album are awesome, and all of Kate Bush's stuff is mesmerizing to me, especially Babooshka.

JH: Hands down, it’s the Julia Child Remix “Keep on Cooking” put out by PBS Video. If you even remotely enjoy cooking, you’ll love it.

Anything else we should know about you? Arrest record? Lady crushes? Man crushes? Ever made-out in the walk-in cooler? Want to reveal a secret on the interwebs?

JH: No secrets. I would say I am most me during dinner service. What you see if what you get. We have a lot of fun on the line at Qui. We laugh, sometimes we yell and/or cry (sorta joking). No secret crushes, except for Laura Sawicki. Yeah, she’s definitely my chef crush, and my girlfriend is cool with it. Haha.