Meet the Chef: Juan Lepe of Roasted Peppers

Chef Juan Lepe knew how to bring pasta to a boil in his mother's kitchen when he was 9 years old. Many Mexican children help their mothers at an early age but mostly by cleaning, cutting and dicing vegetables or peeling potatoes. Juan and his brother Roberto, four years older than Juan, were taught by their mother how to prepare complete meals for their siblings. There were seven boys and two girls in the family. 

The Lepe's own a farm in El Puerto, a small village in Jalisco, the Mexican state having Guadalajara as its capital. They raise corn, squash, beans and other vegetables and keep cows in their pasture.

Life hasn't been easy for the farm family. Two of the boys, blind from birth, needed medical attention when they were young that took the parents away from home, sometimes for a month or more. When the brothers were older, Juan's parents left the farm to assist them in attending special schools and then adjusting to college. Medical specialists were unable to help the pair but today one brother is a lawyer and the other is a psychologist. 

The El Puerto schoolhouse only went to the third grade when Juan was a child. After completing third grade, the Lepe children walked more than two miles to a schoolhouse in a neighboring town called La Cofradia. Not easy to do every morning when you have to milk the cows first.

Juan Lepe left home when he was 16 years old to join his brother Roberto in the U.S.A. and landed a job at a restaurant called Oliver's in White Plains. After six months, he was transferred to Oliver's sister restaurant at the Galleria at White Plains. But before long, both restaurants failed and he decided to go home to help run the farm.

He returned to America the following year and landed a job as a waiter at Rockwell's, a sports bar and grill, in Mamaroneck. When an opening occurred for a cook, he tested for the job and was shifted from the front to the back of the restaurant. He soon became as familiar with American-style cooking as with Mexican or Tex-Mex.

He helped open two new sister eateries for Rockwell's, the first in Scarsdale and the second in Bedford Hills. But eventually, the small chain went out of business.

Lepe joined his brother Roberto at Sam's of Gedney Way in White Plains in 1991 and remained there until mid-2009 when he and two others decided to open Roasted Peppers. Joining Lepe were chef Darrell Belcher and general manager Ruben Ochoa, Jr. Roberto Lepe still cooks for Sam's of Gedney Way but is part of the Roasted Peppers' investment group.

How the Roasted Peppers' menu was created

Just before launching Roasted Peppers in November 2009, a number of changes were made in the menu. "We realized there were dishes we could cook that weren't available in the neighborhood," said Lepe, "so we decided to go from an all-Latin menu to one that was about 40 percent American." By Latin, Pepe refers to Mexican, Cuban and other dishes of south-of-the-border origin. The menu at Roasted Peppers includes red snapper tacos, its most popular dish, guacamole, and paella, but it also includes braised beef short ribs,  pan roasted chicken, veal meatloaf and lobster "Mac."

The most popular appetizer is two stuffed halves of peppers. The red-pepper half has ground beef, olive, onion, carrot and roasted pepper; the green-pepper half has goat cheese, almond, vinegar, garlic and roasted pepper.

The Lepe farm is located near the heart of blue agave country (the plant from which tequila is made) and Roasted Peppers carries 20 different brands of tequila. In the future, look for Roasted Peppers to introduce Mariachi band music - Mariachi music was invented hundreds of years ago not very far from where the Lepe farm stands.

Roasted Peppers cooks with poblano, jalapeno, serrano and the dried peppers: chipotle, ancho and guajillo, but not with habanero (too hot for most people's tastes). Peppers are an ingredient in many of its dishes including roasted pepper and crab chowder and even in a roasted pepper margarita. It also is used in a pink sauce similar to Ranch salad dressing.

Roasted Peppers is located at 320 Mamaroneck Ave.,  Mamaroneck, New York 10543.  Lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day. Dinner is offered from 4 to 10 p.m. on Monday through Thursday, from 4 to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and from 3 to 9 p.m on Sunday. Brunch is available from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. 914-341-1140. www.roastedpeppersny.com.