Other
Paco Garcia
James Beard Award winner
- Discipline
- Other
i. Biography
Chef-ownership in a Louisville kitchen asks for more than a point of view on the plate. Under the FOKO name, Paco Garcia’s work sits in the daily overlap of cooking, sourcing, leadership, and service. The record includes culinary school, executive chef responsibility at Con Huevos, a guest chef appearance at MESA - A Collaborative Kitchen in New Albany, and a Best Chef: Southeast semifinalist recognition.
The Climb
Professional kitchen training at Culinary school gave Paco Garcia a formal base for the work: structure, repetition, and the habits required to turn instinct into serviceable technique. That training became public-facing in Louisville through the executive chef role at Con Huevos, where leadership meant holding consistency across services and shaping a restaurant’s identity through repeated execution. Guest chef work at MESA - A Collaborative Kitchen in New Albany (2018) placed the cooking in a collaborative format. In that setting, Paco Garcia’s point of view had to be legible outside a permanent home kitchen: concise enough for a featured appearance, grounded enough to carry through service, and clear enough to stand in conversation with the room and the format.
Today
Chef-ownership at FOKO in Louisville is the current center of the work. For Paco Garcia, the role gathers the practical responsibilities of a working restaurant: cooking, sourcing, leading, welcoming guests, adjusting to service, and keeping the restaurant’s identity coherent over time. The chef role at FOKO - Logan Street Market extends that same name into a market setting, where immediacy and kitchen discipline meet in daily practice. Barbacoa tartare, served as a first course in a FOKO dinner by Chef Paco García, shows the method in a named dish rather than a slogan. Barbacoa is carried into tartare form and positioned at the start of the meal, which makes the dish both a reference point and a composed opening move in dinner service. Sourcing is part of the craft standard at FOKO. Paco Garcia is committed to thoughtfully sourcing the best ingredients possible for his guests, treating procurement as a cooking decision rather than a back-of-house errand. The ingredient choice starts the hospitality before the plate reaches the table.
Signature
Signature work under Paco Garcia includes Pork Carnita Tacos with Spicy Peach Salsa and Barbacoa tartare. The range is practical: tacos built for directness and appetite, and a first-course tartare that reframes barbacoa in a composed format. Both sit inside the FOKO register of feeding guests with clear intent and attention to ingredient choice.
Recognition
Best Chef: Southeast semifinalist recognition places Paco Garcia’s Louisville work in a wider professional frame. The honor sits alongside the more repeatable measure of the trade: daily service, chef-ownership at FOKO, and the ongoing task of giving the restaurant a clear working voice.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Paco
What is Paco Garcia's current role?
As of 2026, Paco Garcia is chef and owner.
What recognition has Paco Garcia received?
Best Chef: Southeast semifinalist (2018).
