LOCAL Houston | The City Guide MAY 2015 | Page 22

Local May_Final.qxp_002houston 4/23/15 12:19 PM Page 22 CHEF’S SPECIAL OMAR PERENEY PESKA SEAFOOD CULTURE FAVORITE AFFORDABLE WINE? ONE MORE YEAR! By Mike Cook | Photography by Kennon Evett 20-YEAR-OLD SUPER CHEF ON THE RISE OMAR PERENEY is Peska Seafood Culture’s Executive Chef and one of the youngest people in the country to helm a position of this caliber. In this role, the Venezuelan native will oversee a menu showcasing seafood traditions and fish from around the world. As a teen, Pereney was invited by James Beard Award-winning chef Douglas Rodriguez to intern at the eponymous De Rodriguez in Miami Beach, Florida, and returned in 2012 for a pastry internship under the tutelage of Norman Van Aken and Max Santiago at acclaimed Tuyo in downtown Miami. The former chef instructor at Le Cordon Bleu Mexico has already had a taste of celeb chef status in his home country, thanks to three seasons on The Gourmet – Venezuela’s