Armando Garcia, of Franklin Park, is a cook at Underpass Restaurant & Lounge. He is known for his cheese fries, known on the menu simply as The Best Damn Cheese Fries. The fries have been featured on the TV show “Chicago’s Best.”
Q: Where in Mexico are you from?
A: Cuernavaca, Morelos.
Q: When did you come to the United States and why?
A: I came in 1985. I came because I wanted the American dream. I came to this country to cook.
Q: When did you know you wanted to be a chef?
A: I went to school for it in Mexico.
Q: When did you start working at Underpass?
A: I started here almost six years ago. I love this place.
Q: When did you first make your famous cheese fries?
A: I made it three years ago. I tried to make it better and better.
Q: What’s the secret to making your cheese fries so good?
A: I cook everything fresh. It’s the flavor in the fries when I cook them.
Q: You were on the show Chicago’s Best. What was that like?
A: It was good. I was so happy, because that was the first time I was on a TV show. People like my food. It was fun to be on TV.
Q: Your son, Armando, also works here. What’s it like working with him?
A: I like it because I know he’s working at a good place.
Q: What other foods do people enjoy eating?
A: People love my tacos. The barbecue ribs are popular, too. I’m going to start making barbecue chicken. It’s good chicken. Everything is fresh!
—Maryann Pisano, Pioneer Press
Shout Out is a weekly feature in which we get to know and introduce our readers to their fellow community members and local visitors throughout suburban Chicago. Check out more online at ChicagoTribune.com/ShoutOut.
