Chef Ana Gonzalez is a native of Colombia where Spanish and African influences shape the cooking; It was these influences that she brought with her when she moved to Miami with her family as a young girl. She grew up helping her mother in the kitchen and eventually even helped her with her catering business on the weekends. By the time she was sixteen, she had landed a job in the kitchen of the Alexander Hotel, and before you know it had worked her way from prep, to sauté, to grill then on to sous chef.

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While working in the kitchen at Alexander, she also graduated from culinary school at the prestigious Johnson and Wales University. After graduation she earned a scholarship to study pastry in Holland. There she studied under other chefs in her field and was able to hone her skills even more. Once back in the states, she moved from Miami to Orlando, where she worked at Orlando’s Peabody Hotel. Around 2007, both Gonzalez and her husband, Brian Barrow whom she met in culinary school at Johnson and Wales, transferred to The Peabody in Memphis, where they worked with José Gutierrez.

 

Another amazing opportunity presented itself to Gonzalez and in 2013 she transferred to The Westin Memphis Beale Street to become the Executive Chef at their Bleu Restaurant & Lounge. It is here that Chef Ana still works hard creating exquisite works of culinary art that are not only appealing to the taste but also the eye.