San Antonio’s Hotel Emma, which recently snagged the Michelin Guide’s prestigious Two Keys distinction, has hired a new executive chef. Geronimo Lopez is charged with overseeing banquets, the hotel’s Supper restaurant, Larder coffee shop and Sternewirth bar.
Before this new high-profile gig, Lopez was the chef and owner of Botika, a Peruvian-Asian restaurant at the Pearl that closed in August after an eight-year run. Originally from Caracas, Venezuela, Lopez has worked as a chef for some 30 years at luxury restaurants and resorts all over the world, from Hawaii to Mexico to Dubrovnik, Croatia.
The San Antonio Report caught up with Lopez during his second day on the job to discuss his culinary vision for Hotel Emma, San Antonio’s changing restaurant scene and his favorite guilty pleasure when he has the munchies.
Q: What was your first day on the job like?
A: A lot of conversations, getting to know the people who work here, getting to know my crew and getting a feel for what this space represents. I’m going to be doing that for the next two or three weeks. It’s important for me to draw a plan of attack for the culinary program before we start getting busy with the holiday season.
Q: Let’s go back to the start. What first got you interested in food and cooking?
A: My grandmother used to make cakes for weddings. She was a very good pastry decorator, and I grew up around that. Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to be a chef. When I was 12, I was burning things in the kitchen, trying to replicate recipes and just devouring books on cuisine. As soon as I turned 15, I started working in restaurants. I was just fascinated with the craft.
Q: How did growing up in Caracas influence your style as a chef?
A: Caracas is a very multicultural, cosmopolitan city with about 6 million people, with huge immigration from Italy, Spain, Portugal and South America. There are also a lot of influences from the Caribbean. I grew up eating a lot of very flavorful and vibrant food, and that’s always been at the forefront of my palate. I also went to culinary school in France, so those two worlds collided in my mind. I try to recreate a lot of the flavors that are typical of that cultural melting pot.
Q: After culinary school, you traveled the world, working at different resorts and restaurants. Of all the places you worked, what were some of your favorites?
A: I would say Hawaii, especially Kona. It’s a very volcanic area, so it’s like you’re living on the moon. But it’s very beautiful in its own way. It’s very exotic, with different cultures and a rainbow of flavors. Mexico was another favorite of mine. It has such a big universe of flavors from different regions of the country.
Q: What brought you to San Antonio?
I moved here in 2012 as an instructor with the Culinary Institute of America. The school was already open, and I started Nao, the student-run restaurant. The idea was that the CIA in San Antonio was going to be a hub for Latin cuisine. I ran the restaurant from 2012 to 2016 and then opened Botika.
Q: Did the COVID-19 pandemic have anything to do with Botika closing?
A: Yes, a little bit. You know, it’s not just one thing that made us decide to close it down. After COVID, business just didn’t come back in the same way, to be honest. We had a couple of very bad summers, like everybody else in the city. Our lease was coming to an end, so we could either shut it down or reinvest in it. I felt that it was a good time to look for something different, and lucky for me, this opportunity at Hotel Emma came along.
Q: What is your culinary vision for Hotel Emma?
A: More than anything, I want to say that the product that we have is a fantastic one, from the love and care that was put into the hotel, its architecture and the level of detail. And now that Hotel Emma has been recognized with Michelin’s Two Keys, we need to continue to elevate the culinary program. My goal is to make Hotel Emma the center of culinary for the Pearl community and invite different chefs who are here at the Pearl. We want to make a kitchen that is open to the public and other chefs. It’s going to be a lot of work, but it’s also a lot of fun.
Q: Are there any new menu items in the works?
A: I think we are going to drive a more seasonal menu. I want to continue to work with local producers, artisans and craftsmen to help expose some of the fantastic programs that we have in and around San Antonio. Botika had a lot of Asian influence. Here, we’re going to focus more on the classics. I want to bring back some of that Old World feel. It obviously won’t happen overnight, but I want to make this a destination for people who are looking to relive the classic scene that we saw a few decades back.
Q: During your time in San Antonio, how has the culinary scene changed?
A: I think that the Pearl has been responsible for changing the culinary landscape. By bringing CIA into San Antonio, we are fostering a new generation of chefs, like Nicola Blaque and Jesse Kuykendall at Ocho. We are looking at a city where, 10 years ago, you couldn’t find a decent croissant to save your life, whereas now you have amazing options, with different pastries and fantastic breads. And even the things that San Antonio was always good at, like tacos, you’re finding more quality product than ever before.
Q: Do you have a favorite dish that you like to prepare?
A: I am a very simple person. I like sauteed fresh fish with a beautiful white wine sauce. Add some vegetables and a nice glass of white wine, and I’m a happy man.
Q: What’s your guilty pleasure food?
A: Dulce de leche. It’s very Argentinian. What I like to do is grill a nice piece of bread, preferably something crusty, like sourdough, and you let it char, and then you add a little bit of salt and spread caramelized milk on top. It makes me happy.
Q: What do you like to do when you’re not working?
A: I’m a father, so that takes a lot of time, but I like to box, and I support the boxing community here in San Antonio. It’s something that keeps me sane and balanced. I like to sweat. It’s a very mental sport, and it demands your full attention. A lot of what I do as a chef and as a father comes from the teachings of boxing.