Victor Albisu
{{Short description|American chef}}
{{good article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox chef
| honorific_prefix =
| name =
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| image = Victor Albisu 2010.jpg
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| alt = Albisu stirs a pot of risotto while another person looks on
| caption = Albisu (right) in 2010, making risotto
| birth_name =
| birth_place = Fairfax, Virginia, U.S.{{Cite web |last=Rothstein |first=Betsy |date=December 9, 2008 |title=Chef 101 With Victor Albisu of BLT Steak |url=https://thehill.com/capital-living/17773-chef-101-with-victor-albisu-of-blt-steak/ |access-date=October 5, 2024 |website=The Hill}}
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| education = George Mason University, Le Cordon Bleu
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| restaurants = {{plainlist|
- Taco Bamba (2013 – present)
}}
| prevrests = {{plainlist|
- Del Campo (2013 – 2018)
- Poca Madre (2018 – 2020)
}}
| television =
| awards ={{plainlist|
- Chef of the year, Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (2015)
- Semifinalist, James Beard Foundation Award for best chef, Mid-Atlantic region (2016 and 2020)
}}
| website =
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}}
Victor Albisu (born {{birth based on age as of date|42|2017|5|5|noage=1}}) is an American chef and restaurateur. A graduate of George Mason University in Virginia and Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, he was executive chef at BLT Steak, a steakhouse in Washington, D.C., until 2012 when he left to open his own restaurants. He created the fine-dining Latin American restaurants Del Campo and Poca Madre in Washington, D.C., which have since closed, and the fast-casual chain of taquerias known as Taco Bamba, which features traditional and inventive tacos. Opened in 2013 in the Falls Church, Virginia shopping center where Albisu's mother owns a Latin market, as of June 2024 Taco Bamba has 15 locations in the D.C. area and nearby states. In 2015, the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington named Albisu chef of the year, and in 2016 and 2020, he was a semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation Award for best chef in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Early life and education
Albisu was born to a Cuban father and Peruvian mother; his grandfather was a baker in Cuba. Albisu grew up in Falls Church and Annandale, Virginia, and worked at his mother Rosa Susinski's nearby Latin market.{{Cite web |last=Frederick |first=Missy |date=May 9, 2014 |title=Taco Bamba, a Mother/Son Affair; STK Shenanigans |url=https://dc.eater.com/2014/5/9/6226703/taco-bamba-a-mother-son-affair-stk-shenanigans |access-date=August 31, 2024 |website=Eater DC |language=en |archive-date=September 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240907090856/https://dc.eater.com/2014/5/9/6226703/taco-bamba-a-mother-son-affair-stk-shenanigans |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Miles |first=Vernon |date=June 15, 2021 |title=For Taco Bamba owner, newly announced Landmark location is a homecoming |url=https://www.alxnow.com/2021/06/15/for-taco-bamba-owner-newly-announced-landmark-location-is-a-homecoming/ |access-date=August 31, 2024 |website=ALXnow |language=en-US |archive-date=September 1, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240901015435/https://www.alxnow.com/2021/06/15/for-taco-bamba-owner-newly-announced-landmark-location-is-a-homecoming/ |url-status=live }} He attended Annandale High School,{{Cite web |last=Sernovitz |first=Daniel J. |date=November 5, 2021 |title=Exclusive: Taco Bamba brings on partner, plots nationwide expansion |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2021/11/05/taco-bamba-forges-partnership-for-growth.html |access-date=August 31, 2024 |url-access=subscription |website=Washington Business Journal |archive-date=September 1, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240901015431/https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2021/11/05/taco-bamba-forges-partnership-for-growth.html |url-status=live }} then George Mason University in Virginia, graduating in 1999 with a bachelor's degree in politics and international relations.{{Cite web |last=Johnson |first=Greg |date=June 1, 2023 |title=Mason alumnus chef influences region's culture through his restaurants |url=https://business.gmu.edu/news/2023-06/mason-alumnus-chef-influences-regions-culture-through-his-restaurants |access-date=August 31, 2024 |website=Costello College of Business |language=en |archive-date=June 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230628142055/https://business.gmu.edu/news/2023-06/mason-alumnus-chef-influences-regions-culture-through-his-restaurants |url-status=live }} He later attended Le Cordon Bleu in Paris.{{Cite web |last=Sargent |first=Stephanie |date=June 24, 2024 |title=Taco Bamba founder Chef Victor Albisu's journey to Nashville's culinary scene |url=https://www.thenewstn.com/community/taco-bamba-founder-chef-victor-albisus-journey-to-nashvilles-culinary-scene/article_97c807e2-3279-11ef-82f1-8fabd315ed3e.html |access-date=August 31, 2024 |website=The News |language=en |archive-date=September 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240907080413/https://www.thenewstn.com/community/taco-bamba-founder-chef-victor-albisus-journey-to-nashvilles-culinary-scene/article_97c807e2-3279-11ef-82f1-8fabd315ed3e.html |url-status=live}}
Career
= Fine dining =
== Early career ==
In December 2007, Albisu became chef de cuisine,{{Cite news |last=Oczypok |first=Kate |date=May 7, 2008 |title=BLT Steak carves its niche |url=https://thehill.com/opinion/op-ed/6160-blt-steak-carves-its-niche/ |work=The Hill}} then later executive chef at BLT Steak, a steakhouse in Washington, D.C. popular with the Obama family.{{Cite web |last=Sidman |first=Jessica |date=July 9, 2024 |title=BLT Steak Has Closed in DC |url=https://www.washingtonian.com/2024/07/09/blt-steak-has-closed-in-dc/ |access-date=August 31, 2024 |website=Washingtonian |language=en-US |archive-date=August 31, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240831075337/https://www.washingtonian.com/2024/07/09/blt-steak-has-closed-in-dc/ |url-status=live }} Albisu also cooked at the White House for the Obamas, and previously for George W. Bush.{{Cite news |last=Steinhauer |first=Jennifer |date=December 14, 2018 |title=Trump Kicks Away Obama Traditions Even at the Dinner Table |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/14/us/politics/trump-food-restaurants.html |access-date=September 1, 2024 |url-access=limited |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=November 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221125122018/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/14/us/politics/trump-food-restaurants.html |url-status=live }} In 2011, he won a competition hosted by Eater in honor of the Obamas' love of burgers, preparing a Kobe beef burger with cheddar, ketchup and wild ramp dijon mustard. Albisu mentioned that the burger contained a few of the favorite foods of Michelle and Barack Obama.{{Cite web |last=McKeever |first=Amy |date=April 27, 2011 |title=Chefs Todd Gray, Victor Albisu And Brian McBride Compete In Eater DC's Obama Burger Challenge |url=https://dc.eater.com/2011/4/27/6684305/chefs-todd-gray-victor-albisu-and-brian-mcbride-compete-in-eater-dcs |access-date=September 1, 2024 |website=Eater DC |language=en |archive-date=March 3, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240303164147/https://dc.eater.com/2011/4/27/6684305/chefs-todd-gray-victor-albisu-and-brian-mcbride-compete-in-eater-dcs |url-status=live }} The dish was later added to the BLT Steak menu.{{Cite web |last=McKeever |first=Amy |date=October 31, 2011 |title=BLT Steak Launches a Rotating Board of Political Burgers |url=https://dc.eater.com/2011/10/31/6640395/blt-steak-launches-a-rotating-board-of-political-burgers |access-date=September 7, 2024 |website=Eater DC |language=en}}
== Del Campo and Poca Madre ==
Albisu left BLT Steak in 2012 to start his own restaurants{{Cite web |last=McKeever |first=Amy |date=March 6, 2012 |title=Executive Chef Victor Albisu Leaves BLT Steak |url=https://dc.eater.com/2012/3/6/6608035/executive-chef-victor-albisu-leaves-blt-steak |access-date=August 31, 2024 |website=Eater DC |language=en |archive-date=September 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230927083923/https://dc.eater.com/2012/3/6/6608035/executive-chef-victor-albisu-leaves-blt-steak |url-status=live }} and in 2013, he opened Del Campo, an upscale South American grill in the Chinatown neighborhood of D.C. Esquire included it in a list of the best new restaurants in the country, with critic John Mariani stating that smoke underpins most of Albisu's "phenomenal cooking" at Del Campo.{{Cite news |last=Carman |first=Tim |date=December 3, 2021 |title=How Del Campo made Esquire's list of America's best new restaurants |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/going-out-guide/wp/2013/10/08/how-del-campo-made-esquires-list-of-americas-best-new-restaurants/ |access-date=August 31, 2024 |url-access=subscription |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}} A review in Condé Nast Traveler said, "D.C. is notoriously plagued by mediocre steakhouses, but this Argentine-style parilla in the Penn Quarter ain't one of them,"{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Review: Del Campo |url=https://www.cntraveler.com/restaurants/washington/del-campo |access-date=August 31, 2024 |website=Condé Nast Traveler |language=en-US |archive-date=January 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230130210351/https://www.cntraveler.com/restaurants/washington/del-campo |url-status=live }} praising the South American wines, the Peruvian dishes like ceviche, as well as the "toothsome" of roast meats with chimichurri and salsa. In The Washington Post, Tom Sietsema gave the restaurant two-and-a-half stars, indicating good-to-excellent.{{Cite news |last=Sietsema |first=Tom |date=May 18, 2023 |title=Tom Sietsema: Del Campo offers smoke, fire and flavor |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/tom-sietsema-del-campo-offers-smoke-fire-and-flavor/2013/06/05/f2dbfe28-bedf-11e2-97d4-a479289a31f9_story.html |access-date=August 31, 2024 |url-access=subscription |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}} In 2015, the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington named him chef of the year,{{Cite web |last=Hiatt |first=Gabe |date=December 7, 2018 |title=How D.C.'s Mexican Food Mad Scientist Makes a Ramen Taco Work |url=https://dc.eater.com/2018/12/7/18129081/taco-bamba-robinson-ramen-taco-fairfax |access-date=August 31, 2024 |website=Eater DC |language=en |archive-date=September 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240907080424/https://dc.eater.com/2018/12/7/18129081/taco-bamba-robinson-ramen-taco-fairfax |url-status=live }} and in 2016, Albisu was a semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation Award for best chef in the Mid-Atlantic region.{{Cite web |last=Frederick |first=Missy |date=February 17, 2016 |title=Kinship and The Dabney Are Among This Year's James Beard Award Semifinalists |url=https://dc.eater.com/2016/2/17/11032702/james-beard-semifinalists-awards |access-date=September 1, 2024 |website=Eater DC |language=en |archive-date=September 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240907080438/https://dc.eater.com/2016/2/17/11032702/james-beard-semifinalists-awards |url-status=live }}
In 2018, Albisu converted Del Campo into an upscale Mexican restaurant called Poca Madre.{{Cite web |last=Mitchell |first=Travis |date=June 18, 2018 |title=First Look: Chef Victor Albisu Goes Upscale With Mexican-Inspired Poca Madre |url=https://dcist.com/story/18/06/18/first-look-poca-madre-arrives-with/ |access-date=August 31, 2024 |website=DCist |language=en |archive-date=August 31, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240831064942/https://dcist.com/story/18/06/18/first-look-poca-madre-arrives-with/ |url-status=live }} In 2019, Sietsema listed Poca Madre at number six of the 10 best restaurants in D.C., highlighting "game-changer" dishes centered on vegetables like charred cabbage with mole and oxtail jam, or mango with chile, lime, candied fresno peppers and charred habanero oil in ceviche.{{Cite news |last=Sietsema |first=Tom |date=October 10, 2019 |title=Review {{!}} Poca Madre starts to sparkle |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/a-chef-steeped-in-tacos-takes-mexican-cuisine-on-an-upscale-ride/2018/07/24/e7dc0f1a-8395-11e8-8f6c-46cb43e3f306_story.html |access-date=September 1, 2024 |url-access=subscription |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286 |archive-date=October 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221018064140/https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/a-chef-steeped-in-tacos-takes-mexican-cuisine-on-an-upscale-ride/2018/07/24/e7dc0f1a-8395-11e8-8f6c-46cb43e3f306_story.html |url-status=live }} In 2020, Albisu was again a semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation Award for best chef, Mid-Atlantic region.
Poca Madre closed on March 16, 2020, when D.C. implemented a dine-in moratorium due to the COVID-19 pandemic; the restaurant did not reopen, closing permanently in September 2020.{{Cite web |last=Sullivan |first=Jenny |date=April 19, 2021 |title="We've All Been Through It This Year" |url=https://www.arlingtonmagazine.com/weve-all-been-through-it-this-year/2/ |access-date=August 31, 2024 |website=Arlington Magazine |language=en-US |archive-date=September 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240907080417/https://www.arlingtonmagazine.com/weve-all-been-through-it-this-year/2/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Hiatt |first=Gabe |date=September 8, 2020 |title=Inventive Mexican Restaurant Poca Madre Has Permanently Closed in Penn Quarter |url=https://dc.eater.com/2020/9/8/21427559/poca-madre-mexican-restaurant-closing-taco-bamba-penn-quarter-chinatown-d-c-victor-albisu |access-date=September 1, 2024 |website=Eater DC |language=en |archive-date=February 29, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240229094409/https://dc.eater.com/2020/9/8/21427559/poca-madre-mexican-restaurant-closing-taco-bamba-penn-quarter-chinatown-d-c-victor-albisu |url-status=live }}
= Taco Bamba =
[[File:Taco Bamba Taqueria on Backlick Road.jpg|thumb|left|A Taco Bamba location in Springfield, Virginia,
in October 2024]]
In June 2013, Albisu opened Taco Bamba,{{Cite news |last=Sietsema |first=Tom |date=December 3, 2021 |title=It's Taco Bamba time: Victor Albisu's Falls Church taqueria opens June 17 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/going-out-guide/wp/2013/06/12/its-taco-bamba-time-victor-albisus-falls-church-taqueria-opens-june-17/ |access-date=September 1, 2024 |url-access=subscription |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}} a fast-casual taqueria in the Falls Church, Virginia shopping center with his mother's market.{{Cite web |last=Gutierrez-Jones |first=Jackie |date=March 1, 2024 |title=A Bastion of Pimento Cheese Empanadas and Catfish Tacos Arrives in Green Hills |url=https://nashville.eater.com/2024/3/1/24087509/taco-bamba-opens-in-green-hills |access-date=August 31, 2024 |website=Eater Nashville |language=en |archive-date=September 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240907080204/https://nashville.eater.com/2024/3/1/24087509/taco-bamba-opens-in-green-hills |url-status=live }} His mother and stepfather Bill Susinski were cofounders with Albisu.{{Cite web |last=Jennings |first=Lisa |date=November 8, 2021 |title=Taco Bamba plots national growth with Investors Management Corp. partnership |url=https://www.nrn.com/fast-casual/taco-bamba-plots-national-growth-investors-management-corp-partnership |access-date=September 7, 2024 |website=Nation's Restaurant News |language=en |archive-date=December 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231205212327/https://www.nrn.com/fast-casual/taco-bamba-plots-national-growth-investors-management-corp-partnership |url-status=live }} Named for Peruvian slang for "inauthentic", Taco Bamba offered both traditional tacos (carne asada, barbacoa, birria) and more inventive versions, like fried tilapia with squid ink aioli.{{Cite web |last=Poster |first=Leslie |date=July 24, 2013 |title=Restaurant Spotlight: Taco Bamba |url=https://www.fcnp.com/2013/07/24/restaurant-spotlight-taco-bamba/ |access-date=September 7, 2024 |website=Falls Church News-Press Online |language=en-US |archive-date=September 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240907080156/https://www.fcnp.com/2013/07/24/restaurant-spotlight-taco-bamba/ |url-status=live }} Esquire called Taco Bamba "some of the best tacos on the East Coast."{{Cite web |last=Erickson |first=Nate |date=April 24, 2018 |title=The Gringa Will Be the Best Taco You Ever Eat |url=https://www.esquire.com/food-drink/food/a19992256/best-taco-mexican-gringa-recipe/ |access-date=September 1, 2024 |website=Esquire |language=en-US |archive-date=September 1, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240901015425/https://www.esquire.com/food-drink/food/a19992256/best-taco-mexican-gringa-recipe/ |url-status=live }} In September 2016, Albisu opened a second location in Vienna, Virginia.{{Cite news |last=Carman |first=Tim |date=December 2, 2021 |title=The first 100 customers at the new Taco Bamba receive free tacos for a year |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/going-out-guide/wp/2016/08/25/the-first-100-customers-at-the-new-taco-bamba-receive-free-tacos-for-a-year/ |access-date=September 1, 2024 |url-access=subscription |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286 |archive-date=October 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201009161139/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/going-out-guide/wp/2016/08/25/the-first-100-customers-at-the-new-taco-bamba-receive-free-tacos-for-a-year/ |url-status=live }} Washingtonian magazine described the Vienna menu as a "love letter to Northern Virginia", with a "7 Corners Shrimp" taco honoring Eden Center's hub of Vietnamese restaurants and "Bulgogi Bullfight" for the Koreatown neighborhood of Annandale, Virginia, Albisu's hometown. However, it also stated that "not all creations deliver", saying that the Black Sheep taco is "all chew", and that the skirt steak and chorizo on the taco "Big Papa Bamba Platter" are "tough and bland".{{Cite web |last=Spiegel |first=Anna |date=January 5, 2017 |title=The New Taco Bamba Is a Love Letter to Northern Virginia |url=https://www.washingtonian.com/2017/01/05/chef-victor-albisus-taco-bamba-love-letter-northern-virginia/ |access-date=September 1, 2024 |website=Washingtonian |language=en-US |archive-date=May 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520030825/https://www.washingtonian.com/2017/01/05/chef-victor-albisus-taco-bamba-love-letter-northern-virginia/ |url-status=live }}
When the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020, Taco Bamba had five locations, with half of revenue coming from dine-in customers.{{Cite web |last=Lalley |first=Heather |date=April 26, 2020 |title=Emerging chains flip from growth mode to survival |url=https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/emerging-brands/emerging-chains-flip-growth-mode-survival |access-date=September 1, 2024 |website=Restaurant Business |language=en |archive-date=September 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240907080157/https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/emerging-brands/emerging-chains-flip-growth-mode-survival |url-status=live }} As indoor dining restrictions were imposed, Albisu laid off 100 people and closed the D.C. location, which was adjacent to Poca Madre. He converted the four Virginia locations to takeout-only, then introduced delivery service, which helped keep more staff employed. By the end of April 2020, Albisu said sales had almost returned to pre-pandemic levels though the dining rooms remained empty.{{Cite web |last=Feldman |first=Jess |date=April 27, 2020 |title=Table for None: 'It's very surreal' says Victor Albisu of NoVA's Taco Bamba |url=https://northernvirginiamag.com/food/food-features/2020/04/27/table-for-none-its-very-surreal-says-victor-albisu-of-novas-taco-bamba/ |access-date=September 1, 2024 |website=Northern Virginia Magazine |language=en-US |archive-date=September 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240907080157/https://northernvirginiamag.com/food/food-features/2020/04/27/table-for-none-its-very-surreal-says-victor-albisu-of-novas-taco-bamba/ |url-status=live }}
In 2021, Investors Management Corporation, the parent company to the restaurant chain Golden Corral,{{Cite web |last=Lalley |first=Heather |date=November 9, 2021 |title=Golden Corral parent partners to expand Taco Bamba |url=https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/emerging-brands/golden-corral-parent-partners-expand-taco-bamba |access-date=September 1, 2024 |website=Restaurant Business |language=en |archive-date=November 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231128102501/https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/emerging-brands/golden-corral-parent-partners-expand-taco-bamba |url-status=live }} acquired a stake in the business with the goal of creating a national chain. As of June 2024, Taco Bamba has 15 locations,{{cite news |last1=Dickerson |first1=Trevor |title=Taco Bamba set to open first Richmond location at Willow Lawn Tuesday |url=https://rvahub.com/2024/06/03/taco-bamba-set-to-open-first-richmond-location-at-willow-lawn-tuesday/ |access-date=August 31, 2024 |work=RVAHub |date=June 3, 2024 |archive-date=September 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240907080157/https://rvahub.com/2024/06/03/taco-bamba-set-to-open-first-richmond-location-at-willow-lawn-tuesday/ |url-status=live }} in the D.C. area as well as Richmond, Virginia,{{Cite news |last=Peifer |first=Karri |date=May 30, 2024 |title=Taco Bamba's first Richmond location opens June 4 |url=https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2024/05/30/taco-bamba-richmond-location-opens-june-4 |work=Axios}} Raleigh, North Carolina,{{Cite web |last=Jackson |first=Drew |date=August 17, 2023 |title=Popular DC-based taco shop comes to Raleigh. What to know about the opening |url=https://www.heraldsun.com/living/food-drink/article278267123.html |website=The Herald Sun |agency=The News & Observer}} and Nashville, Tennessee.{{Cite web |last=Gutierrez-Jones |first=Jackie |date=March 1, 2024 |title=A Bastion of Pimento Cheese Empanadas and Catfish Tacos Arrives in Green Hills |url=https://nashville.eater.com/2024/3/1/24087509/taco-bamba-opens-in-green-hills |access-date=September 5, 2024 |website=Eater Nashville |language=en |archive-date=September 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240907080204/https://nashville.eater.com/2024/3/1/24087509/taco-bamba-opens-in-green-hills |url-status=live }} These locations offer "locally inspired" dishes like barbecue pork tacos and pimiento cheese empanadas. A new steakhouse, called Electric Bull, is planned to be opened in the summer of 2025 in Vienna.{{Cite web |last=Klavon |first=Dawn |date=2024-12-03 |title=Taco Bamba Founder Victor Albisu Plans New Boutique Steakhouse for Vienna |url=https://northernvirginiamag.com/food-and-drink/2024/12/03/taco-bamba-founder-victor-albisu-plans-new-boutique-steakhouse-for-vienna/ |access-date=2025-01-16 |website=Northern Virginia Magazine |language=en-US}}
= Other activities =
Albisu appeared as a competitor in an episode of Beat Bobby Flay, airing in early 2015, winning top honors.{{Cite web |last=Spiegel |first=Anna |date=January 15, 2015 |title=Watch Del Campo's Victor Albisu On "Beat Bobby Flay" Thursday |url=https://www.washingtonian.com/2015/01/15/watch-del-campos-victor-albisu-on-beat-bobby-flay-thursday/ |access-date=September 7, 2024 |website=Washingtonian |language=en-US |archive-date=September 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240907090741/https://www.washingtonian.com/2015/01/15/watch-del-campos-victor-albisu-on-beat-bobby-flay-thursday/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/beat-bobby-flay/episodes/clash-of-the-culinary-titans |title=Clash of the Culinary Titans |website=The Food Network}}{{Cite web |date=May 20, 2016 |title=7 of the Best Breakfast Spots In DC |url=https://www.washingtonian.com/2016/05/20/best-breakfast-spots-dc/ |access-date=September 7, 2024 |website=Washingtonian |language=en-US |archive-date=September 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240907080317/https://www.washingtonian.com/2016/05/20/best-breakfast-spots-dc/ |url-status=live }}
Albisu has worked with the humanitarian organization CARE in Peru{{Cite web |date=December 3, 2015 |title=World Class: Celebrity Chefs Aren't the Only Global Do-Gooders |url=https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/331175/world-class-celebrity-chefs-arent-the-only-global-do-gooders/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230926132334/https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/331175/world-class-celebrity-chefs-arent-the-only-global-do-gooders/ |archive-date=September 26, 2023 |access-date=September 7, 2024 |website=Washington City Paper |language=en-US}} and with World Central Kitchen, providing food to those affected by Hurricane Harvey.{{Cite web |last=Hayes |first=Laura |date=March 6, 2017 |title=World Central Kitchen Mobilizes Chefs to Tackle Global Hunger |url=https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/191904/world-central-kitchen-mobilizes-chefs-to-tackle-global-hunger/ |access-date=September 7, 2024 |website=Washington City Paper |language=en-US |archive-date=December 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231205212648/https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/191904/world-central-kitchen-mobilizes-chefs-to-tackle-global-hunger/ |url-status=live }} At World Central Kitchen he was also a member of the board.{{Cite web |last=Gans |first=Stefanie |date=September 7, 2017 |title=Victor Albisu is back from Houston and ready to open Springfield's Taco Bamba |url=https://northernvirginiamag.com/food/food-news/2017/09/07/victor-albisu-is-back-from-houston-and-ready-to-open-springfields-taco-bamba/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240907130359/https://northernvirginiamag.com/food/food-news/2017/09/07/victor-albisu-is-back-from-houston-and-ready-to-open-springfields-taco-bamba/ |archive-date=September 7, 2024 |access-date=September 7, 2024 |website=Northern Virginia Magazine |language=en-US}}
Awards
- Semifinalist, James Beard Foundation Award for best chef in the Mid-Atlantic region, 2016 and 2020{{Cite web |title=Victor Albisu |url=https://www.jamesbeard.org/chef/victor-albisu |access-date=August 31, 2024 |website= James Beard Foundation |language=en |archive-date=December 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231202042917/https://www.jamesbeard.org/chef/victor-albisu |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=These 21 D.C.-Area Restaurants And Chefs Are James Beard Semifinalists |url=https://dcist.com/story/20/02/26/these-19-d-c-restaurants-and-chefs-are-james-beard-semifinalists/ |access-date=August 31, 2024 |website=DCist |language=en |archive-date=September 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240907080159/https://dcist.com/story/20/02/26/these-19-d-c-restaurants-and-chefs-are-james-beard-semifinalists/ |url-status=live }}
- Chef of the year, Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington, 2015
Personal life
Albisu is married and has two sons.{{Cite web |last=Van Zandt |first=Emily |date=March 23, 2017 |title=Victor Albisu |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2017/03/23/victor-albisu.html |access-date=September 1, 2024 |website=Washington Business Journal |archive-date=August 1, 2021 |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801161323/https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2017/03/23/victor-albisu.html |url-status=live }}
References
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Category:People from Annandale, Virginia
Category:George Mason University alumni
Category:Alumni of Le Cordon Bleu
Category:American restaurateurs
Category:Annandale High School alumni
Category:Chefs from Washington, D.C.