Back Burner: Meet Chef Mike Perez of Loro Asian Smokehouse & Bar in Austin

As regional chef of Hai Hospitality’s Loro Asian Smokehouse & Bar, a US Foods® customer, Chef Mike Perez oversees culinary development and operations for all Loro Asian locations in Dallas, Houston and Austin, Texas. We caught up with Perez to ask some burning questions.

Q: What’s your go-to pan and why?
A: I love a vegetable grill pan. At Loro, we cook over oak coals, so having a mesh pan helps us get any extra smoke and char on the vegetables we cook.

Q: Toughest ingredient to work with?
A: Turmeric. We love and hate each other. We make a sauce that requires about 2 kilos of peeled and cut turmeric. They are tiny – and a pain in the ass to peel. Worth it, though.

Q: Most hated dish and why?
A: Hard to say any dish is hated. I just got in a fun debate recently about prime rib, so if I had to pick, it would be prime rib. I like a good crust and char on my ribeye. While prime rib has a ton of flavor, it loses me with the texture.

Q: Best kitchen shoes?
A: Growing up in Italian kitchens, I loved Bragard clogs. Now, working in smoke rooms hauling meat from outside smokers to the kitchen, I prefer Snibbs.

Q: What are you doing when you’re not on the clock?
A: Currently training my 3-month-old puppy, Adaline. We have grand plans of hiking and fishing when she is bigger.

Q: Key to keeping the kitchen humming?
A: Internal hospitality and patience. Our industry is ever-evolving, now more than ever. Kitchens are faced with less experienced cooks, and as chefs, it is our responsibility to teach and grow our team. The best way to teach them is in a way they feel good about.

Q: Lucky number? Why?
A: 19; it was my football number in high school.

California-born and Portland-raised, Chef Mike Perez got his start flipping burgers as a teen and never looked back, trading his original plan to become a teacher for culinary school at Johnson & Wales University in Miami. After cooking his way through cruise ships, fishing clubs and standout restaurants – including Timberline Lodge in Oregon, Scarpetta in Los Angeles, the former Tabla Bistro and Ten01 in Portland, Deep Creek Fishing Club in Alaska and Trattoria Lucca in Charleston. As regional chef for all Loro Asian Smokehouse locations, Perez brings his deep respect for education, technique and culture to every dish – always honoring his roots as a proud first-generation Mexican American.

This article was originally published in the August 2025 issue of Food Fanatics®. Click here to read more articles from the publication. Click here for US Foods resources for independent restaurants and restaurant groups.