Sue Torres - Executive Chef/Owner, Sueños

Best known for her delectable Mexican cuisine- Chef Sue Torres is an expert on combining flavor, color, and texture through her culinary art. Her philosophy of cooking with fresh ingredients developed during childhood as she was introduced to fresh basil, cilantro and vegetables at an early age. Daughter of an Italian mother and Puerto Rican father, Torres' grandparents grew vegetables in their home garden and taught her the basics of preparing meals with organic foods.

After completing her studies at the Culinary Institute of America, Sue sunk her teeth into some of NY cities' finest restaurants; The "21" Club, La Grenouille, Isabella's, Lola's, and Arizona 206 & Café. Sue worked as a Sous chef at Arizona 206 under Miles Angelo, the king of Southwestern fare, where her love of chiles truly began.

Her curiosity for the depth of Mexican ingredients drove her to accept the challenge of becoming head chef at Rocking Horse Café Mexicano by the young age of 23. Eric Asimov of the NY Times noted his dining experience at Rocking Horse as "the most exciting Mexican food in the city", earning the restaurant three and a half stars from the New York Post.

During these times Torres planned her first trip to Mexico, in 1998, where she studied with Mexican cooking authority and cookbook writer, Diana Kennedy. She toured the markets of Oaxaca with Susana Trilling, prominent cookbook author and founder of Seasons of My Heart cooking school, and apprenticed under Ricardo Muñoz Zurita in Mexico City. Sue toured the various hometowns her cooks originate from annually since this trip in order to learn about the different dishes, ingredients and techniques of Mexican cooking.

After reaching a plateau at Rocking Horse, Torres was excited to start a restaurant from the ground up at Hell's Kitchen. Again she impressed the NY food writers and media with her talent and passion for Mexican cuisine- earning a place on New York's "Restaurant Critics' Top Picks" for the best "spin" on bread service with her cornbread and black bean dip. Other notable media recognitions include Food & Wine, Working Woman's list of "20 Women Under 30" to watch out for, and guest appearances on network television shows, including The Martha Stewart Show, The Rachel Ray Show, and The Food Network.

Sue made her ultimate dream a reality with the opening of her own restaurant, Sueños. Sueños, Spanish for "dreams", has grown to be one of New York's favorite hideaways- packaged with a variety of fresh Mexican dishes, authentic Mexican décor, and stellar margaritas, which made Bon Appetit's Best Cocktail List of 2004. Suenos was listed as in Vogue's "Taster's Choice" 2004 by Jeffery Steingarten as one of the lasting four monuments of 2003.