David Rios

Coming Up

Kitchen management at The Original Pete's Pizza put David Rios in the practical mechanics of service: pacing, coordination, and the kind of attention required to keep a pass moving cleanly. Moving on to Lead Sauté Chef at Slocum House Restaurant added a more specialized layer, where line discipline and technical control had to hold under pressure. Those early stations show the shape of the work before the accolades or the broader beverage focus: kitchen-first, service-tested, and built on repetition that trains timing, judgment, and adaptability. As Sous Chef of Cilantro's Mexican Grill, Rios works in a role that still asks for execution, but also leaves room for consultation, advising, and teaching—functions that depend on having lived the line from the inside.

Where They Are Now

Tequila and mezcal sit at the center of Rios’s current work, bringing origin, smoke, and structure into the glass. His practice extends past the stove and into beverage composition, where the same standards of balance and precision apply in a different register. As he has said, "Wine has always been closely linked to my career, and today more than ever we use it in the creation of our cocktails." That approach treats wine, tequila, mezcal, and cocktails as connected tools rather than separate categories, with each one informing the others through texture, proportion, and intent. The result is a way of working that moves between kitchen and bar without losing the logic of either.

In Their Words “The world of wine has always been closely linked to my career, and today more than ever we use it in the creation of our cocktails.” “Working as a sommelier at the Mugaritz Restaurant was one of the most important professional experiences of my career.” The Mugaritz Restaurant experience reads as a key point in that formation, especially for how it shaped his thinking about service, pairing, and the relationship between food and drink. Paired with his comment on wine in cocktails, it shows a working vocabulary that reaches beyond one discipline while staying grounded in professional service. The line from kitchens to sommelier work to cocktail composition is clear: Rios has built a practice around moving those categories into conversation without flattening their differences.

Career - Sous Chef — Cilantro's Mexican Grill - consultant, advisor, and teacher - Kitchen management — The Original Pete's Pizza - Lead Sauté Chef — Slocum House Restaurant

FAQ What is David Rios's current role? As of 2026, David Rios is Sous Chef of Cilantro's Mexican Grill. Where did David Rios work before? David Rios's earlier career included The Original Pete's Pizza and Slocum House Restaurant. What recognition has David Rios received? Diageo World Class Bartender of the Year (2013).