Dan’s Taste 2021 Chefs: Miguel Reyes Castillo, K PASA

New to the Dan’s Taste events is Miguel Reyes Castillo, the head chef of K PASA in Sag Harbor. With a gift for cooking Mexican cuisine, he brings immense flavor and authenticity to every taco, bowl and other K PASA dish he makes. He’ll be showcasing his skills at Dan’s Chefs of the Hamptons on Thursday, June 24.

First word (or words) that comes to mind when you hear “Taste of Summer?”
Ceviche, pineapple salsa and beach.

Where do you draw your inspiration from?
My uncle at Estia’s Little Kitchen, my grandmother in Mexico and Chef David Hart.

You can invite three people, living or dead, to your dinner party. Who are they, and what would that meal be?
My mother, grandmother and Chef Dianne Kennedy. Goat barbacoa with simple salsas and tortillas that we’d all make together with our hands.

What’s your favorite dish to prepare, and do you enjoy eating it as much as preparing it?
Mexican seafood risotto—I love to eat it!

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
Work for tomorrow, not for today.

Share your funniest, most unforgettable or oddest kitchen incident.
Being crazy busy on Cinco de Mayo and having to use the floor staff to help me in the kitchen.

Who do you most admire in the food/wine world and why?
Anyone who creates something new, most chefs, restauranteurs are copying.

What is going to be the “next big thing” on the East End food scene?
I really don’t know, but I hope it’s not more Italian restaurants!

What are your hobbies/passions/interests outside the world of food, wine and work?
Family, my home country and sleeping.

What’s your comfort food and why?
Sushi from Sen Restaurant and steak from East Hampton Grill. Why? Because someone else is making it.

If you were not in the food or wine business, what would you be doing?
Driving a Ferrari and eating at great restaurants.

What is the most memorable thing you’ve ever tasted?
Fresh Italian truffles.

What recent travels have you taken that have inspired you?
Nada, it’s been a pandemic! Internet travels only.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Being promoted to head chef at the K PASA restaurant!

What’s a unique kitchen ritual you practice?
Tasting all the basics, multiple times a day.

What has surprised you the most about working in the East End culinary scene?
Shortage of staff.

It’s your last weekend on earth—what’s the menu?
Pozole soup, giant shrimps cooked over coals, amazing salsas and plenty of tequila to wash it all down.

We just handed you a glass of bubbly. Now please make a toast to summer on the East End.
Welcome to the summer, here’s hoping the sun shines and the water stays warm until November!

For tickets and more information on all Dan’s Taste 2021 events, visit DansTaste.com. And to learn more about K PASA, visit 1-800-taco.com.