Slipstream - September 2018

Kruder’s Cars & Conversation
By Bill Kruder
photos courtesy of Victor Rojas
You guessed it! Once again it’s
all about coffee and who you meet.
Several months ago, Bill Bradley
started this Friday coffee meet up at
Trio Craft Coffee in Flower Mound.
I finally decided to join the fun one
Friday and I think we had eight to
ten guys there. As it turns out, three
of them, including this month’s
interviewee, had never been out
with us before. Apparently he had
read on Facebook that we were
meeting and thought he might stop
to check it out on his way to work.
Well, we struck up a conversation
about all things coffee and Porsches
and he has been out with us more
times than I can count.
So here is the next in my series
of “conversations” I would like to
share with you:
Victor Rojas, Member since 2017,
Owner 2007 Speed Yellow Cayman
Bill Kruder: So I know you are not
originally from here; where again?
12 September
Victor Rojas: Oh no for some reason
people always think I’m from the
Northeast but I am from Dallas,
specifically Grand Prairie. My Dad
was from Mexico and moved here
when he was fourteen; my mom
was born and raised in Dallas.
BK: Where do you live now?
VR: We live in Flower Mound; we
moved there for the schools. Our
son just graduated High School.
However, we are moving shortly
back to Dallas, to the Design District.
BK: Where did you go to school?
VR: I went to Jesuit High School in
north Dallas. My Dad worked in
Dallas so he would take my brother
and me to school and my uncle
would pick us up. That is, until my
brother was able to drive; then he
would take us.
BK: And how about college?
RA: I graduated from El Centro College
with a degree in Culinary Arts.
BK: How did you get interested in
Culinary Arts?
VR: Well I have a large extended
family; my Dad is one of nine and
my mom is one of five. We were
always having these big family
gatherings that of course revolved
around food and drink.
BK: Was someone in the business
that inspired you?
VR: Matter of fact my grandfather
started out in the restaurant and
hotel business. He started at the
bottom and worked his way up,
so think that was my inspiration.
Plus Mom I think - back in the 80’s
we would watch this show called
“Great Chefs of the West,” and I
remember Stephen Pyles was on it,
and my mom said “why don’t you
be like him?”
BK: What was your first experience
in “fine dining”?
VR: That would be at the old Dallas
Stouffer Hotel. I had experience
already as a waiter, so when I joined
them, that was what I considered
fine dining at its best.
BK: So did you start out in the fine
dining arena?
VR: Heck no! Going to school I
waited tables at Bennigan’s. My
first “chef” job was at a little
place called Mustang Café in Los
Colinas. It was nice but no five star
experience (laughing).
BK: When we first met you were
opening up a new restaurant as
GM, but I recently hear you are
somewhere new now?
VR: Yes that’s right. I was working
on the opening of Bullion, a Bruno
Davaillon concept. We got that
open, and recently a friend told me
about a new opportunity, which
ended up being the reopening of
the French Room at the Adolphus.
They had gone thru a 16-month