Winner (#1)

Versailles

Orlando Garcia was born in Guines, Cuba. As a young man he worked in many well known and highly respected restaurants on the island. By the time he left Cuba in 1967, he was an accomplished chef.

In 1977 he opened his first restaurant in downtown Los Angeles, Mi Rinconcito (My Little Corner) where he developed his unique way of creating and serving traditional Cuban dishes. In 1979 he furthered his success by relocating to El Rincon Criollo (“The Native Corner”) in Culver City. There he perfected his own marinade sauce using his unique blend of spices which is now knows as the Versailles Mojo (marinade sauce).