This Is TASTE 724: A Rising Star Chef, 20 Years in the Making, with Corima’s Fidel Caballero
Feb 2, 2026
Fidel Caballero, chef-owner of Michelin-starred Corima and co-founder of Vato, shares a 20-year culinary journey from Mexico through China and the Basque region to New York. He talks about launching Corima in Chinatown, running a hybrid tasting and à la carte service, the roots of Vato’s northern-Mexico flavors, and lessons learned from cooks and kitchens around the world.
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Food Truck Lead Turned Into Shanghai Job
- Fidel took a chance after a stranger ordered his whole food-truck menu and offered him a job in Shanghai within days.
- He accepted immediately, left for China within three days, and invited his friend Freddie to join later.
Homesickness Became Creative Fuel
- Homesickness made Fidel connect Chinese flavors to his Mexican roots and inspired new techniques.
- He adapted scallion-pancake flakiness into a flaky tortilla used at Corima.
Showing Up Landed Contra Opportunity
- Fidel joined Contra by showing up in person with a resume and was invited to cook the next day.
- He ran the meat roast station, became sous chef, and learned ambition, seasonality, and menu development there.