Meet our crew: Abel Garcia
Erica Sagon
Meet our crew: get to know the awesome humans that make Cardinal Spirits possible!
Abel Garcia. Photos by Anna Powell Denton
Abel Garcia
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executive chef at Cardinal Spirits
@eclectically_awesome on Instagram; Abel Garcia on Facebook
pronouns: he/him
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Tell us about your role at Cardinal Spirits.
I'm the Executive Chef! I create all the menu concepts, items, and weekend specials (fun stuff!) as well as handle all the administrative items for our kitchen team (not so fun stuff!).
Where are you from? Where have you lived?
Originally from Chicago but I spent most of my time growing up here in southern Indiana, specifically Columbus, IN. I went to Columbus North High School, go Bulldogs!
Any pets or family members you’d like to introduce?
Olivia a.k.a. Olive. Fun Fact: She was given to me as a tip when I was helping run a pizza shop!
Olive!
Tell us about a skill that you have outside of work.
Doing home-brew beers! Unfortunately I haven't had a chance to brew one in about 3 years due to space and temperature issues at my current house, but it always crosses my mind when I'm not busy with work.
Do you have a side hustle? What is it?
Yes, I do pop-up events whenever I can. They allow me to try out menu items that either wouldn't necessarily work in a regular service setting or within the current menu I'm running.
I also do local interviews with service industry folks for a local podcast named No Dishes! Our goal is to help people get to know our local service industry with in-depth conversations that include local business owners, managers, servers, cooks, etc. I specifically run the "Shift Change" portion of No Dishes, check it out, like and subscribe!
What's your favorite Cardinal Spirits cocktail/spirit/dish?
I would have to go with our Terra Gin. This spirit and its botanical blend helped bring me back from a mental state of mind that always said, "I hate gin."
It’s happy hour — what are you drinking and eating?
That's tough...I'd say my usual "hydration station" looks like, water, beer, bubbles, and mezcal. (Go big or go home). And for food, if I'm not trying other local chef's food, comfort food all the way!
Cardinal Spirits carry-out dishes created by Abel Garcia + team.
Do you have any advice for people who want to make better food at home?
Of course! When deciding on a recipe, ask yourself, what can I do with the leftovers? Save it for tomorrow? Create a new dish? That path of thinking will get you the most bang for your buck when cooking not only at home but in any kitchen.
What cooking advice should people ignore?
Ignore reality kitchen shows, haha.
What is Cardinal’s best-kept secret?
Our Social Media! If you're missing out on specials — angry lobster roll fans, I'm looking at you — start following us! (Editor’s note: It’s true, we spill all of our secrets on social media first, including pre-order info for our amazing weekend food specials. Cardinal Spirits on Instagram and Facebook)
What would surprise people about the work you do at Cardinal?
I think they would be surprised by how many "cool" items never make the menu(s), due to space constraints, local farmers running out of items, etc. Sometimes I make a menu and by the time I'm happy with it, it looks like nothing I started with in my head.
What's your coffee order?
At work: Black, straight up
Home: None
Out: Vanilla Latte x2 espresso
Favorite places on the Internet?
Tell us about a podcast, movie, book, TV show, album, subscription, etc. that you consumed and liked. We’re all looking for recs!
No Dishes Podcast on Spotify, Apple, etc
Original Twilight Zone
Joe Rogan Experience podcast: Specifically Paul Stamets, Graham Hancock, Neil deGrasse Tyson interviews
Favorite midnight snack?
Chinese food or tacos
Favorite condiment?
Hot sauce
Want to give a shout-out to anyone?
Shout-out to my kitchen team — we're doing something special here, and they help make my ideas become reality, so don't miss out!
Thanks, Abel! We are so lucky to have you on our team!
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