George's At The Cove Executive Chef and Partner Trey Foshee has broken his silence on the incoming Galaxy Taco, set to open late spring/early summer in La Jolla Shores at 2259 Avenida de la Playa. Foshee took to George's blog to explain his motivation for opening Galaxy, his passion for Mexico and its culinary styles and his goals for his latest endeavor.
Below is the entire blog post from Chef Trey Foshee, entitled The Story Behind Galaxy Taco, as it was originally published at georgesatthecove.com/blog/the-story-behind-galaxy-taco:
As you may have recently read in the U-T, Eater, San Diego Magazine and FOOD & WINE [ah-hem, forgot to mention SanDiegoVille], we are, indeed, opening a Mexican restaurant in La Jolla Shores.
One of the reasons George’s at the Cove has remained such a successful enterprise is that George Hauer, April Johnson and I, as partners, have remained operationally involved—no spinoffs, no outside projects, just the day-to-day grind of trying our best to be better than we were yesterday.
So why are we doing another project now? Good question.
George and I both have a love of Mexican food and culture. When the right opportunity presented itself to us, we decided it would be a worthwhile endeavor to explore this passion in our backyard. We are taking a small portion of the old La Jolla Shores Market space on the corner of Avenida de la Playa and La Shores Drive, plus the two small “casitas” located between the building and the parking lot, for Galaxy Taco.
My passion with Mexican food started in 1994 during the time of the Northridge earthquake. I had just left my job as executive chef of Röckenwagner restaurant in Santa Monica. John Sedlar called me to see if I was interested in helping him reopen his earthquake-shuttered Bikini as a new, more casual concept called Abiquiu, named after his childhood home in New Mexico.
John Sedlar, for those that have not heard of him, is one of the godfathers of Mexican food in the U.S. Sedlar, along with chefs such as Mark Miller, Stephan Pyles, Robert Del Grande and Dean Fearing, was at the forefront of a movement to embrace regional American cuisine. “The five of us built this game,” Sedlar said. “We'd started to ask ourselves, what is American food? Why are we such Europhiles?” He has since gone on to do many other projects including Playa and Rivera restaurants in L.A.
I have continued to explore my love for the culture and foods of Mexico by traveling as often as I can. My wife says I get a goofy smile the minute I cross the border. No doubt. I leave my struggles and problems behind and immerse myself in a culture based on joy, a sense of humor, intense flavor and an appreciation for its sense of place. No matter what political or economic challenges they face.
Since I arrived here in 1999, I’ve been asking myself, “What is San Diego food?” It’s a question that has formed the menus for both California Modern and the Ocean Terrace, and continued to fuel our growth and success.
I think we all know the answer, but we just don’t want to say it out loud for some reason. We want to sit outside, we want to wear whatever we want, we prefer to eat with our hands and we want a good drink. Right?
The cuisine of Mexico stems from a very old and deep culture; I don't pretend to be an expert, just a chef who appreciates it and wants to continue to learn more about it. It can be taken very seriously, as in restaurants such as Pujol and Quintonil, or it can be the most humble street food to feed the working people.
It is the culture that gave us chocolate, tomatoes, chilies, vanilla, corn, squash and beans.
It is our neighbor.
It is also a very difficult food culture to pin down. Recipes change and adapt based on ingredients and lifestyle, geographic location, family, etc.
With Galaxy Taco, my goal is to translate my appreciation of Mexican food through a San Diego lens. This is a culture we share a border with, and it has been the backbone of our restaurant and agricultural industries. I have great respect for it, so this will not be a gringo highbrow interpretation. What I’m striving to create is a fun place, one that both visitors and locals alike will enjoy for its embodiment of our unique lifestyle and great food and drink. In time, my hope is that Galaxy Taco will become part of the fabric of the Shores community, like George’s at the Cove has been for La Jolla Village for so long.
Construction has begun and we anticipate a late spring opening. Sign up above and follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram to stay up-to-date on the latest news and announcements.
My passion with Mexican food started in 1994 during the time of the Northridge earthquake. I had just left my job as executive chef of Röckenwagner restaurant in Santa Monica. John Sedlar called me to see if I was interested in helping him reopen his earthquake-shuttered Bikini as a new, more casual concept called Abiquiu, named after his childhood home in New Mexico.
John Sedlar, for those that have not heard of him, is one of the godfathers of Mexican food in the U.S. Sedlar, along with chefs such as Mark Miller, Stephan Pyles, Robert Del Grande and Dean Fearing, was at the forefront of a movement to embrace regional American cuisine. “The five of us built this game,” Sedlar said. “We'd started to ask ourselves, what is American food? Why are we such Europhiles?” He has since gone on to do many other projects including Playa and Rivera restaurants in L.A.
I have continued to explore my love for the culture and foods of Mexico by traveling as often as I can. My wife says I get a goofy smile the minute I cross the border. No doubt. I leave my struggles and problems behind and immerse myself in a culture based on joy, a sense of humor, intense flavor and an appreciation for its sense of place. No matter what political or economic challenges they face.
Since I arrived here in 1999, I’ve been asking myself, “What is San Diego food?” It’s a question that has formed the menus for both California Modern and the Ocean Terrace, and continued to fuel our growth and success.
I think we all know the answer, but we just don’t want to say it out loud for some reason. We want to sit outside, we want to wear whatever we want, we prefer to eat with our hands and we want a good drink. Right?
The cuisine of Mexico stems from a very old and deep culture; I don't pretend to be an expert, just a chef who appreciates it and wants to continue to learn more about it. It can be taken very seriously, as in restaurants such as Pujol and Quintonil, or it can be the most humble street food to feed the working people.
It is the culture that gave us chocolate, tomatoes, chilies, vanilla, corn, squash and beans.
It is our neighbor.
It is also a very difficult food culture to pin down. Recipes change and adapt based on ingredients and lifestyle, geographic location, family, etc.
With Galaxy Taco, my goal is to translate my appreciation of Mexican food through a San Diego lens. This is a culture we share a border with, and it has been the backbone of our restaurant and agricultural industries. I have great respect for it, so this will not be a gringo highbrow interpretation. What I’m striving to create is a fun place, one that both visitors and locals alike will enjoy for its embodiment of our unique lifestyle and great food and drink. In time, my hope is that Galaxy Taco will become part of the fabric of the Shores community, like George’s at the Cove has been for La Jolla Village for so long.
Construction has begun and we anticipate a late spring opening. Sign up above and follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram to stay up-to-date on the latest news and announcements.
