Carlos Perez, Chef/Artist

Carlos is an artist who is also a chef. He was raised in a gallery.

His body is a canvas for ink.

He cooks and he paints.

The last point, we have in common.. I am a painter who also was a professional cook.

I think of the elements of art and the principles of design and how they are used in making a piece of art, and I began to think how the senses are connected to those elements in the creation of culinary art.

Presentation incorporates composition, an arrangement of shapes & form, balancing colors and flavors to create feasts for the senses..

Savoring the aroma will start your mouth watering in anticipation of what that scent might taste like, and when the food is delivered to your mouth, the textures mingle with the smells and the tastes and give you a wholistic experience.

Add the music of a sizzling dish that keeps sizzling when it arrives at your table and all five senses have been engaged.

I went to meet with Carlos because he is welcoming one of our painters into his dining rooms to paint live during service to promote, Plein Air Litchfield, the art competition that my nonprofit is producing. He brought me into the Taco side of the restaurant to show me the huge portraits he made of famous chefs.

They are bold, with intensely bright colors which I think represent Carlos’ intensely strong feelings about his subjects and his profession. The strokes of paint in the backgrounds of his portraits remind me of Van Gogh; his brushstrokes evoke a sense of moving, as if they were living paintings.

His paints in a Pop Art style reminiscent of comics and graphic novels..

The Chefs he painted are Pop Icons of Cuisine Culture, implanted in the zeitgeist, and the style is perfect for his subjects:

Anthony Bourdain, Guy Fieri, Gordon Ramsey, and the fictitious TV chef from The Bear, Jeremy Allen White.

His subjects are instantly recognizable and I remarked that it feels like Anthony Bourdain is still alive as stories and books about him, written by those who knew him, continue to show up in on my news feed to this day.

Carlos then told me he produces a Suicide Prevention Dinner, which connects to Bourdain.

“Bourdain was always an inspiration for me, as (he was to) many young chefs, I had read all his books and listened to Kitchen Confidential on audiotape numerous times, so I ended up pulling myself out of that dark place and just focusing all my energy on cooking.

The idea for the suicide prevention dinner was born.

So the main premise of the dinner is:

6 different well known CT chefs, and usually 2-3 well known bartenders.

5 courses, plus a cocktail hour which includes collaborative bite size apps.

Each chef chooses a country so you almost get a tour around the world by the end of the meal. Last year tickets were $150/person, and between ticket sales and the auction,

we raised over $20k.

The money raised goes to AFSP but specifically the Litchfield chapter which Janet Dember runs. I wanted to make sure the money stays local just to make sure its properly utilized. We basically fill ‘@ The Corner’ for the event. The most we can fit is around 115 people and there’s always a wait list.

This year the event is on October 20th, the Monday of the suicide prevention week in Litchfield, which I had the pleasure of speaking at last year.

I already have the lineup of chefs, just waiting to release it.”

Carlos gets Art and its enormous value to society, which is why he is so open to bringing live art making into his dining room.

Make reservations to watch Live Painting Sessions @ The Corner and @ATC South:

June 15, 2025, Father’s Day Brunch, @ The Corner side.

June 27, 2025, Dinner, @ ATC South Taco side.

June 28, 2025, Lunch, @ The Corner side.