It’s not often that convention facilities are reputed for their culinary excellence, but Eduardo Alvarez takes great pride in making the Irving Convention Center in Irving, Texas, an exception. As the facility’s executive chef since 2010, his mission is to have groups not only raving about the food but asking for recipes.

He is more than happy to oblige. Recently, Alvarez learned that two attendees were particularly impressed by the butternut squash soup served at lunch. He ducked into his office, scaled the banquet-sized recipe down to eight servings, printed out the instructions and hand-delivered the copies to their table so they could make the soup at home.

 “Going above and beyond is his standard practice,” says Lori Sirmen, communications manager for the Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Chef Eduardo understands that the event experience involves 360-degree participation, and he wants our visitors to walk away from the facility saying, ‘Wow, the Irving Convention Center truly created an unforgettable event.’”

Special requests are never a problem. When asked to create a last-minute vegetarian entrée selection on the morning of a 2,000-person event, Alvarez set aside normal operations to prep, cook and present three separate options to the meeting planner on the spot.

To Alvarez, meeting attendees are an extended family. When guests set foot in the 275,000-square-foot facility, their dining experience should dispel any preconceived notions of “convention food” and feel more like a taste of home.

For nearly 300 events each year, Alvarez and his team of eight sous chefs, along with the convention center’s banquet staff, create F&B experiences that every attendee can truly enjoy, whether for a coffee break, cocktail reception or multi-course meal.

Sirmen notes that Alvarez works six out of seven days a week, not because he’s required to, but because he wants to make sure that his team gets time off.  “They see his willingness to help them improve, and they return the favor with renewed enthusiasm,” she says.

It makes sense that hard work is embedded in Alvarez’s craft, as he painstakingly developed his culinary talents at the start.

At age 16, he ventured with his father and brother from Mexico to Dallas, seeking a better life. His interest in creative cuisine was sparked in the kitchen of a French restaurant, the former Les Saisons, where he began working as a dishwasher. Alvarez observed and learned the precision cooking of the late chef Jean LaFont and his team, even while busy in the kitchen scrubbing plates and dinnerware.

“I had to earn the chefs’ trust in the kitchen. I had to communicate and prove that I was there to learn and grow,” Alvarez says. “I started off peeling 1,500 pounds of potatoes and chopping carrots and onions by hand. I learned everything the hard way but remained determined. Eventually, the chefs began training me more and more thoroughly – sharing flavors and recipes and techniques.”

Despite language barriers and the strenuous manual labor, Alvarez returned to work each day with an improved sense of hope. He continued moving up in the kitchen – first perfecting à la carte salads and sauces, then flavor profiles and spices.

In 1999, he transitioned to sous chef at the former Dallas Convention Center. The company realized his potential and sent him to culinary school at El Centro College in Dallas to perfect his art. Prior to joining the Irving Convention Center, he also served as personal chef to Dallas Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones, oversaw the far-ranging culinary operations at the former Texas Stadium in Irving and opened the new AT&T Stadium, current home of the Cowboys.

“Still today, I continue to improve my knowledge whenever I get the chance,” says Alvarez. “I try to attend many industry events and sharpen my skills. I know there’s always something new to learn.”

Whatever it is, he learns it well. “Chef’s contributions are completely indispensable to the continuing success of the convention center,” says Lori Sirmen. “Clients rave about his culinary expertise, often singling out the F&B component of their event and citing it as a reason for coming back to the venue time and time again. Our organization would not function the same without him.”

Maura Gast, executive director of the Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau, adds that she would “put chef Eduardo Alvarez up against anyone – and I don’t mean any convention center chef, I mean any chef. He’s responsible for what is probably our most surprising differentiator, something you don’t normally associate with larger convention facilities: upscale, inventive food.”