When owners Nick and Christie Carrera asked Chef Waylon Rivers to join the Asado Life team as Culinary Director, he didn’t hesitate to accept their offer. In many ways, the opportunity to shape and grow the team at Asado Life is the culmination of his dreams and hard work. “I love the new level of engagement which includes management, creativity and teaching. The owners honor the team’s quality of life and foster that aspect of our work life balance,” according to Rivers.
In Spanish, Asado literally translates to roasted. Asado Life is the only restaurant in the North Florida region utilizing the South American slow cooking technique they’ve made popular. The Carrerra’s began their involvement in the industry by crafting and building the grills or “parrillas” before they even started serving food. But when the community was in need during a busy hurricane season, the couple answered the call for contributions and pop-up food sharing operations. Utilizing a slow, wood fire roasting technique over live fire, both inside and outside stays true to Nick Carrera’s Argentinian background and creates uniquely delicious food at the same time.
Cue the recruitment of the new culinary director, Waylon Rivers. As they scaled the concept, the Carrera’s brought on the veteran chef to help build a successful team for both restaurant locations in Jacksonville and St. Augustine. Educated in the culinary arts at Florida State College of Jacksonville, and having worked in restaurants since he was a teenager, Rivers understands the business better than most – a natural progression in his 20-plus year hospitality career, which started as a dishwasher. Most recently, he served as executive chef of The French Pantry, a beloved institution with two locations in Jacksonville and St. Augustine.
Chef Rivers of Asado Life on the line.
This new opportunity allows him to guide menu development, hire and manage the placement of team members, act as a chef for private dinners, and oversee restaurant standards, which jibes perfectly with what makes his heart sing. “Live fire cooking is my favorite way to cook, it’s an art form in itself,” says Rivers. Argentinian Chef Francis Mallman influenced his love of the art form through his tenacity and unique style of live fire cooking outside.
The grills themselves are unique to Asado Life, as constructed by the Carerra’s company, Urban Asado in St. Augustine. They roast most of the menu items and food on the parrillas. Through research and development, the team determines the weekly menu, and they utilize the local butcher, Chop Shop, and local fisherman’s catch. All the protein is cooked live fire: fish, meats, provoleta grilled cheese, vegetables and fruit. A house specialty is Argentinian-inspired Malbec-infused chorizo. Specialty dinners include Gaucho Dinners for 15 or more and Private Chef dinners – a five course outside grill service. Chef’s Table is a wine pairing dinner and tasting menu.
Rivers speaks to his quality of life as a primary factor in joining Asado Life, noting his family and the physical challenges that come with being a veteran chef. They are skills he longs to pass along. “ I love helping mentor young people and teaching,” he explains. “I’m not doing myself or the industry any favors by not helping the next generation.” He is on board in supporting the passionate philosophy of Asado Life, which is to “cultivate unique dining experiences our guests will remember the rest of their lives.”
AUTHOR
Susan is an accomplished food and nonfiction writer with three inspirational books to her name, and a fourth out this summer. She travels the world planning her trips by dining reservations. She started the GA Lottery in the 90’s and turned to food, inspired by the work of Jacques Pepin, Natalie Dupree, and The Frugal Gourmet. Having been involved in the restaurant, food and wine industry for over a decade, she writes passionately about cuisine and foodpreneurs throughout the Southeast region.
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