A Top San Antonio Celebrity Chef Stephen Paprocki Cooks With Mario Lopez at National Garlic Festival
Stephen Paprocki, a top San Antonio celebrity chef, also known as the King of Black Garlic (Texas Black Gold Garlic) and a recently appointed ambassador for UNESCO, had the pleasure of cooking this past weekend at the National Garlic Festival in Fresno, California with celebrity, Mario Lopez.
“I was representing San Antonio at an UNESCO event in Tucson, Arizona when I got a call to do an appearance and demo with Mario Lopez at the National Garlic Festival. Any opportunity I have to showcase garlic, San Antonio and Texas, I’ll take it,” says Chef Paprocki.
Chef Paprocki whipped out his tried-and-true Elote Negro recipe for the event. The zhooshed up Mexican street corn was garnished with Bravado Spice Co.’s hot sauce made with Paprocki’s black gold garlic, which can now be purchased, not only in Texas but at retail shops and grocery stores across the United States and beyond its borders.
See recipe for Elote Negro below:
Elotes Negro (Grilled Mexican Street Corn)
By: Chef Stephen Paprocki
For Mario Lopez at the Garlic Festival
Prep: 30 Min
Cook: 15 min
Serves: 4 Servings
- ½ cup finely crumbled Cotija cheese
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup Mexican Crema
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro leaves
- ½ t of Chili Powder
- ½ t of Smoked Paprika
- 2-4 T black garlic puree
- 4 ears Shucked Corn
- 2 limes, cut in half (½ used for the juice: ¾ used for garnish
- 1T sugar for the lime garnish
- 1 Bottle of your favorite hot sauce
- A hand full of your favorite wood chips
- (Optional blow torch for fire roasted corn effect)
Directions:
1.) Use ½ 600 pan set up with ½ 400 perforated pan and lid for smoker set up. Fill with a hand full of wood chips for smoker setup.
2.) While wood heats up, combine mayonnaise, crema and add black garlic puree in a large bowl: whisk and set aside.
3.) Shuck corn and place in smoker set up and smoke for 3-4 minutes, or until tender and begins to take on color
4.) Transfer corn to bowl with cheese mixture and use a large spoon or brush to evenly coat corn on all sides. Sprinkle extra cheese and chili powder and squeeze ½ lime over the plate. Sprinkle a few drops of your favorite hot sauce for added spice effect.
5.) For garnish, place other limes in sugar, use torch to Brule them.
“It’s not just a blessing for me, but for all the hard working, independent farmers I collaborate with to produce this incredible garlic,” says Paprocki.
CHEF STEPHEN PAPROCKI BIO
Chef Stephen discovered his love of cooking watching his Grandmother cook day in and day out. Growing up in a household where everything was made from scratch, including the wine and beer, had a massive impact on him. One of his most memorable moments as a chef was staging at El Bulli in Spain, which was at the time, one of the best restaurants in the world.
However, he truly launched his culinary career at Omni’s La Mansion del Rio, one of San Antonio’s most prominent hotels. He later earned critical acclaim as Executive Chef at the Fig Tree, a popular French restaurant. Stephen is president of the Chef Cooperatives, a group of chefs that host quarterly farm-to-table dinners to benefit local Texas farmers.
Starting the Chef Cooperatives with a core group of friends and other passionate chefs was a milestone in Stephen’s career and his chance to give back to local farmers and ranchers who were the foundation of the cuisine he created. His relationship with the culinary traditions of San Antonio go far back to the days of old where everything was grown and tended to locally and everything was made from scratch because there was no other option.
Chef Stephen pays homage to that in every dish he creates and, equally, in each of the businesses he owns and works with. Stephen Paprocki is also the founder of Texas Black Gold Garlic, a company that heat-ages standard garlic, which is grown by independent farmers in Texas.
In less than five years, Chef Paprocki has grown TBGG into a chef-driven national brand with products that can be found in stores across the United States, including H-E-B and Central Market. TBGG has over a dozen chef ambassadors who love cooking with one of the most unique ingredients a chef has at their disposal.
Finally, he is the owner of Top Chefa in San Antonio, a consulting company specializing in the food, restaurant, beverage and entertainment industries. Every aspect of Chef Paprocki’s work and world speaks to his love of San Antonio, Texas and pure, simple ingredients grown on this great land.
For more information on Steven Paprocki and Texas Black Gold Garlic, visit texasblackgoldgarlic.com.
