Chef Abner Peralta recently landed his latest cookery gig, hired at the chef de cuisine at Alejandra’s Fine Mexican Food and Cantina in Carlsbad.
Peralta, 30, is the owner of Taqueria El Korita in Chula Vista, and over his career has established himself as a well-know San Diego chef.
Peralta began working under one of the country’s most successful and sought after chefs and restauranteurs, Brian Malarkey, at the age of 17. He helped open Burlap/Seersucker, served as executive chef of Green Acre from 2014 through 2019, and most recently was the executive chef and culinary director of Parakeet Café for three years.
Peralta said he has been working at Alejandra’s for more than a month now and loves the job. He said he was referred by one of his longtime general managers for the position.
“I jumped right onboard,” he said. “They had been open for about three months and wanted some help to upscale their menu. So far, it has been good. We have been adding and changing some new editions to the menu. The feedback is great. We are now seeing many people coming back. A lot of familiar faces and they are enjoying the place and are happy.”
Peralta said the Mexican cuisine, his specialty, the best sellers are the chili rellenos, house enchiladas, churro bites, and other house-made dishes. He said the restaurant is family-friendly and has a robust children’s menu.
“We have a little bit of everything for everybody, but it is more based on Mexican cuisine,” he said.
Born in Nayarit, Mexico, Peralta said he is extremely familiar with the Nayarit concept, with the name of his own restaurant, El Korita is the word used for people born and from Nayarit.
“We do have some dishes at Alejandra’s, that were already there, that I changed to make it more authentic as it should be,” he said. “Many sauces and ingredients, and plating, are based on that region.”
Peralta said his Chula Vista restaurant journey started in 2010 when his father purchased his first restaurant for him as a gift.
“My parents always had taqueria stands since I was a kid,” he said. “His father told him he did not want him to have to work for someone else, so he helped me open my first restaurant La Taqueria in late 2009 in the Barrio Logan area. Honestly, I did not want to work in a taco shop all the time. I love cooking and I wanted more of that. I stayed there for a year, then began learning more about what I wanted to do in my passion for life.”
That is when Peralta started working with Malarkey, they became friends, and he began helping him open restaurants. His mother and family took over working at the restaurant, so it became more of a family operated business, meaning he only had to go there around two to three times a week.
“Five years ago, me and a business partnered opened the restaurant in Chula Vista at a great business spot, more as a café,” he said. “When my lease in Barrio Logan ended, they did not want to renew it, so I combined the taqueria as a café and it blew up. Now it is well known, has a great business. It is small but it is doing very well.”
Peralta said with the “amazing help” from his mother, it is not too difficult to work full time and operate the business at the same time.
“The business is healthy enough to have employees. We survived through COVID never closing our doors,” he said. “I oversee it, but I am not as involved in the operations as much. I am a passionate guy, and I am passionate about everything that I do.”
Peralta said he has been fortunate to work with such wonderful chefs, opening more than 13 restaurants.
“My background speaks for itself,” he said. “It is more about the experience of living in the kitchen. I live by experience and with the great mentorships that I have had starting with Brian and the chefs I have worked with through the years, I have worked with many talented chefs which has brought me the ability to do what I love.”
