Daniel Bojorquez

The Climb

Daniel Bojorquez trained at Culinary Institute of Puebla before beginning a steady ascent through some notable kitchens. He worked as cook at UpStairs on the Square, cook at Aquitaine, cook at Masa, and worked under Chef Frank McClelland at L’Espalier, before becoming executive chef at Sel de la Terre Natick. Today, Daniel is chef and co-owner of La Brasa, bringing that layered experience to a role that reflects both craft and command.

Today

At La Brasa in East Somerville, Massachusetts, Bojorquez is owner and chef, and the Somerville restaurant is also where he serves as chef and co-owner. The cooking there is fire-driven and rooted in his Mexican upbringing, with flavor combinations shaped by his training and by culinary traditions from Mexico, Peru, and the Middle East. The result is a style built on contrasts: familiar warmth against less expected pairings, smoke and heat against comfort, heritage against the broader pantry he chooses to work with. His own words around waste and resourcefulness connect that cooking back to daily life: "Minimizing waste is something I’m working on. I was brought up in Mexico, where food is often a big part of daily life."

In Their Words “Minimizing waste is something I’m working on. I was brought up in Mexico, where food is often a big part of daily life.”

Recognition

The arc is concrete rather than ornamental: culinary school, work in several kitchens, seven years under Frank McClelland, then ownership and the stoves of La Brasa. Each step feeds the same central craft — cooking with fire, memory, and a wide field of flavors.