by Ebony L. Morman

While no two days are the same for chef Flaco Flores, there’s at least one thing he can count on being the same each day at Kid Cashew, where he works as executive chef. “When I turn the lights on in the morning, it’s time to get the fire in the wood grill burning and hot for the day,” he says. 

It’s a highlight for Flores and it’s an aroma that’s become synonymous with the Dilworth staple since he helped one of the current owners, Azam Mehdi, open the restaurant in 2016. Originally from Guatemala, Flores moved to Charlotte in 2010 to be close to family and to explore more job opportunities. Prior to joining the team at Kid Cashew, he spent one year at Futo Buta, a restaurant that specializes in ramen and Japanese fare, and eight years at Georges Brasserie, a former French-inspired restaurant. 

Unpretentious Palate: How did your career in hospitality begin?
Flaco Flores: My hospitality career started when I moved to Charlotte from Guatemala. I began in the dish pit of Ruth’s Chris Steak House in 2010. Gradually, I was given the opportunity to move up to other stations. I was never classically trained to cook but I caught on to the skills quickly because I enjoyed what I was doing so much.

UP: Where does your love for food come from?
FF: My love of food comes from the kitchens that I grew up in as a child. I helped my mom and grandmother create dishes for family dinners and celebrations. When I moved to the United States, kitchen positions were readily available, so that helped me to grow and learn all of the amazing ingredients and the possibilities there are with cooking. My favorite place to be in our kitchen is working on our wood fired grill. 

UP: What’s the inspiration for Kid Cashew’s menu?
FF: The inspiration for the menu is the simplicity of a great homemade meal you would enjoy with your friends and family. Simple ingredients are thoughtfully paired to make each other shine. It’s about freshness, too. Our products come in almost daily and are the freshest ingredients we can serve.

UP: How would you describe your approach to food?
FF: I have worked in a variety of different kitchens with widely varying cuisines. My approach is not to stick strictly to the one cuisine I am cooking. Instead I consider how I can blend multiple cuisines together to make something unique and flavorful. Being from another country and my base knowledge of cooking stemming from another culture, this helps me to branch out on techniques and styles that aren’t so mainstream.

UP: What’s the most popular menu item? What makes it stand out?
FF: One of the most popular menu items is probably the rotisserie chicken. When you walk into the building and peer into our open kitchen, you’re almost always going to see dozens of chickens on the rotisserie roasting over the wood burning grill. They come off the grill with the perfect touch of smoke and fall off the bone juiciness. It’s both a healthy and a flavorful item that seems to be a crowd pleaser. 

UP: What’s your creative process when developing menu items?
FF: The main thing that we ask ourselves is, would we want to share this meal with our family? Does it feel like home? Does the finished meal represent the honesty and integrity of the ingredients from farmers and butchers?

UP: What’s the most rewarding part of what you do?
FF: Watching the restaurant grow and be recognized as a unique part of the Dilworth neighborhood has been extremely rewarding to me. People come from all over the greater Charlotte area to gather around a table, celebrating anniversaries, birthdays, or just a great meal together.

UP: Why is Kid Cashew important to the Charlotte community? What makes it special?
FF: Our main goal is to be the backdrop for people to gather around a table together and have a great time. Sharing food, drink, and laughter as one would do around their dinner table at home. We strive for a place that our neighbors can come in regularly to and rely on for a great meal and warm service.

UP: What’s something unexpected about you?
FF: I love to travel and see new parts of the country. I have family in a lot of different locations across the East Coast that I can go to visit and occasionally will take a road trip out west if I have the time. I enjoy driving and seeing all the different parts of the United States.

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