PETER ALFARO

Chef Peter was born in El Salvador and food has always been a big part of his life, while still in El Salvador, his first job (at age 8)  was delivering bread from a local bakery by bicycle where he could barely reach the pedals, by the time he was 10 he helped out with prep work and serving guests in a deli that his mother owned. As his family made their way to the United States, they had to stop for work in Mexico to make enough money to continue the trip. While there, Peter delivered produce at El Mercado, he also helped out everyone he could by selling and delivering produce, and learned a lot about the culture and the food.

Once in the states, his family settled in Orange County where he grew up and went to school, once old enough to work his first job was as a dishwasher where he quickly made his way to prep, then cook, lead cook, sous, chef, and eventually executive chef. He has been with Bon Appetit since 1999  starting at University Village. Since his arrival, he has worked at Whittier College, Biola University, The Disney Studios, NBCUniversal, and with his role as Regional Executive Chef has supported a dozen PACCON events, countless openings and has been integral in creating culinary programs for the Western Region.