Passion and Hard Work Helping Lure Fish House Succeed Now and in the Future

AZ/CA: LURE FISH HOUSE

Chef Roberto Ucan has 20 years of cooking experience and he's only 34. Growing up on the Yucatan Peninsula, the young Corporate Chef for Lure Fish House has his mom to thank for his love of food aromas and flavors and the joy a great meal brings others. He's no stranger to fresh seafood dishes and has an innate ability to create uniquely prepared dishes that reflect the local flair.

Ucan honed his talents through hard work, by seeking growth opportunities and maximizing the input of mentors guiding his way. He gained ample restaurant experience before heading to Oxnard for his formal education and was quickly swept up by Lure Fish House at age 23.

During his 10-year tenure at Lure, Ucan has overseen the original four Lure locations, freshened up the menus, cleaned up inventory, perfected dish presentation and implemented ideas that embody his “prep less, serve fresh” mentality. He was also instrumental in helping owner David Cortina open Lure’s top-tier seafood experience featuring fresh and sustainable fish selections in the most unlikely of places – the Arizona desert. Lure Fish House Scottsdale is quickly becoming known for providing a fun and exciting seafood experience.

We caught up with Chef Ucan to learn more about his journey to success as well as tips and tricks for restaurant professionals.

I believe it’s best not to prep food until you need it in order to keep it as fresh as possible. To do this and save time too, I’ve implemented the kit method at Lure. We prep as much as we can in advance and prepare ingredient kits for easy mixing. But, we don’t actually blend the ingredients until needed in order to make the meal as fresh as possible.

Definitely. In spring we had to adjust our lunch and dinner menus, and we also introduced a takeout menu by carefully selecting items that travel well. It was important to give our guests the same food experience they’d enjoy in restaurant.

One unexpected menu change was adding a burger. Fast food burger places were packed every time I drove by, so I created a Lure burger. It’s so good - 100% Grass fed beef, caramelized onions, white cheddar and heirloom tomatoes.

The most difficult thing we had to do is reduce staff. We’re on a rotating schedule and have worked hard to make sure our strongest employees are getting the hours they need.

I’m really proud of how we’ve given back to the community during this challenging time.

We partnered with World Central Kitchen, founded by Chef Andres, to provide 4,000 individually packaged, fresh meals in communities that need support. I also created Lure’s “The Great Plates” program, which provides healthy pre-packed meals to a largely elderly population. My boss David Cortina and the management team really supported this and worked hard to make it happen.