Executive Chef David Casey has been with Ceviche Orlando for three years. Casey is a self-taught cook who developed a passion at a very young age by watching his grandmother and mom in the kitchen.
When did your love for cooking begin?
Very young. My mother is an amazing self-taught cook and the smell of tortilla to this day makes me giddy. My grandmother, aunt and mother are my earliest inspirations…. and my Uncle Juanito processing freshly caught rabbit from traps he set every day at 5 am resonated deeply in me. The passion of preparation and the celebration of life were key to enrapturing me completely.
Which dish on Ceviche’s menu are you most proud of?
I am a bit bias and think what we do is stellar across the board, but if I had to pick one item, it would be the paella. Many of my fondest memories of my Spanish family and friends revolve around preparing paella and I think these same individuals would love what we do. Every time a paella makes its way out of the kitchen and onto a guests table is a postcard to these memories for me.
What do you love most about being a chef?
In my eyes, cooking is the most unselfish art. A person can spend all day preparing something with all their effort and the outcome is something that has the potential of being consumed in 5 minutes, haha.
Everything from the fundamentals of teamwork… to creating something that makes another smile… to the palpable energy of peak hour production are really magnetic and exciting! The stuff of poetry.
Is there a chef you admire most? Who and why?
There are so many talented chefs I appreciate. On the famous spectrum, I connect with Marco Pierre White’s intensity concerning the work… but, I would be remiss if I did not mention fellow Spaniard Ferran Adria! Chef Adria is amazingly creative and ever impressive.
However, most of my admiration is reserved for the kitchen teams I have been fortunate enough to share this glorious craft with.
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