The second film in the Staff Meals series takes us to La Condesa in Austin, TX where Executive Chef Rene Ortiz has created an oasis of Interior Mexican food surrounded by a sea of Austin's famous Tex-Mex.

In the first installment, shot at Houston's Uchi restaurant, I profiled a restaurant that went out of its way to bring in fesh ingredients for each Staff Meal. At La Condesa, they go for a different approach, utilizing the "trim" from each night's service to create the meal for the following day.

This technique forces the staff to get creative with each meal, making the most out of what's available to them. Executive Pastry Chef Larua Sawicki says, "Everything we purchase has to go to feeding someone in some way, and they definitely learn that from cooking Family Meal every day."

http://lacondesa.com/austin/

You can see the other Staff Meals films, plus all my other food films at: http://www.foodnarrative.com