‘225’: Fleming’s chef partner rises to the top of his game

Eusebio Gongora II looks over the kitchen as chef partner of Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar knowing that he has the best of both worlds. His father, also Eusebio, is from Matamoros, Mexico, across the border from Brownsville, Texas. His family came to the United States when he was a young boy. The first Eusebio fell in love with and married a proud Louisianan from the West Bank of New Orleans. With the Mexican heritage on his father’s side and the French and Italian roots of Creole New Orleans on his mother’s side, Gongora grew up with an incredible mixture of language, culture and food. But he did not discover his true passion for the kitchen until he was enrolled at LSU, pursuing a degree in biological sciences. While a pre-med student, he worked at area hospitals and clinics, but soon realized he couldn’t see himself working in that setting for the rest of his days. He transitioned into the food world through a stint with LSU Dining as a display chef in the Magnolia Room and jack-of-all-trades in on-campus catering. Shortly thereafter, he took his first restaurant job as a cook at the newly opened Hooters on Siegen Lane. Click here to read the rest of the story in this month’s 225.