Meet Carlos Jurado of Long Beach

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carlos Jurado.

Hi Carlos, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Chef Carlos brands himself with his unique background and exquisite culinary experience. Born in Cali, Colombia, in 1987, Carlos and his family immigrated to Long Beach at the tender age of 2. Having South American roots and an urban upbringing, Carlos Jurado was shaped in fire. The fire that comes with the beauty and rich culture of Colombia, a country that drives and moves forward with art, music, and community, despite adversity. In the heart of Colombians, like Chef Carlos, they have the magic to transmute life into art.
Bringing that magic to the streets of Long Beach, Carlos was part of a unique cultural shift in the LBC. The underground grunge and punk scene shaped the man we see today, not afraid to get his hands dirty and break the status quo. We have the opportunity to see the expression in his art, and an art form that is layered, sophisticated, and authentic.
Chef Carlos Jurado entered the culinary world after bringing his firstborn into the world. Discovering his talent in his home kitchen, he sought to refine his skills in a professional kitchen. He has traveled throughout the country chasing the best chefs for an opportunity to learn. A truly humble man, with the passion and drive to learn for the sake of learning. Chef Carlos found himself in Michelin-starred kitchens working with world-renowned chefs, learning their craft. His humble and tumultuous beginnings were refined in the fire of fine dining kitchens.
Today, we see a man who has shaped himself, much like the fire he works with- he transmutes magic. A business owner, father, mentor, and pillar to his community, he makes strides in the lives and kitchens he has the opportunity to touch.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The primary obstacle was opening at the tail end of the pandemic – there were limitation in the industry that never existed prior and a general fear and uncertainty when it came to congregating indoors.

Another obstacle was the surging costs of food, many of our items are imported and therefore tariff and policies affected our ability to import smoothly. Domestically processed of food are gauging and having to balance that with ethical wages and not compromising quality,

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I specialize in multi practice gastronomy, I take pride in my diverse training and specialties in the culinary arts. I’ve had the opportunity to learn from great Chefs and expand without limiting myself to a single form or practice. I specialize in smoking meats and wood fire grilling as well as fermentation.

I’m proud of my ability to create- layered distinct dishes that come with little surprises- simple dishes with a robust experience that keeps people wondering what they just ate in the best way possible.

How do you think about luck?
The role of luck is finding the right collaborating and partners at the perfect time. The journey with my current business partners was spontaneous and fueled but intuitive acting. I called on a whim and left them my resume and they called me three months later and after they ate my food we were entered into partnership. My current staff is another set of pride and luck finding people that not only have good work ethic but at prideful in being a part of a growing project their support is imperative to the structure of everything I do.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.selvalbc.com
• Instagram: @chef_carlosjurado
• Yelp: https://m.yelp.com/biz/selva-long-beach