Born in San Francisco but raised in the suburbs, Adrian Vasquez exposure to culinary culture was limited to his family’s regular visits to the city for Asian food and Mexican pastries. By fifteen, he envisioned himself as a musician and immersed himself in playing the guitar. Musical talent enabled Vasquez to tour Switzerland, but the rough road of a struggling musician was difficult. Vasquez, determined to train for a career that would be rewarding both creatively and financially, enrolled in architectural school and after more than a year, realized he didn’t have the calling to become a great architect. While working in a bookstore, he spent free time with a cousin, making epic twelve course dinners for friends. These adventures led to the night he remembers as how he discovered his culinary passion; a seminal meal at Socca, the critically acclaimed first restaurant of Chef John Caputo in San Francisco. Vasquez convinced Caputo to let him work as an unpaid apprentice in exchange for the experience, and he quickly learned all aspects of the kitchen. A bicycle trip throughout Europe next led him to a sponsorship at Pied à Terre, a two star Michelin restaurant in London. Upon his return to the U.S. he made his mark at restaurants including Aqua and Hawthorne Lane in San Francisco, the Napa Valley Grill in Providence, Rhode Island and Ambrosia in Boston, finally returning to collaborate with John Caputo at Bin 36 in Chicago. In early 2006, Vasquez accepted the Pastry Chef position at Providence in Los Angeles during the restaurant’s debut year.