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Thursday, March 28
The Indiana Daily Student

Chef Exposito cooks authentic cuisine at IMU

Spanish chef Jose Miguel Exposito waching over the food he prepared at the IMU food court. Exposito will be at IU on March 2 and 3 as part of the Global Chef Program with SODExO, the company that provides food services at IU's IMU. Exposito wil lalso be holding a cooking demonstration at on March 3.

A line of students stretched toward the Charleston Market in the Indiana Memorial Union Food Court at lunchtime Monday.

For the day, the Market was transformed into a station for traditional Spanish cuisine.

The man behind the grill, Chef Jose Miguel Exposito, committed his gaze to the dish in front of him. He prepared each student’s order one by one with precision.

Chris Gray, director of IMU Dining Services, said the chef handled the majority of the preparation himself with his incomparable diligence and organization.

Chef Exposito is featured at the IMU on Monday and Tuesday as part of Sodexo’s Global Chef Program. Gray said IMU dining is fortunate to be a part of a global company, Sodexo, with chefs from across the world to share their talents and culture.

“It’ll be really fun to see the culture of his food and get to share it with students,” he said. “I think it’s a great opportunity for people to see something and taste something that’s authentically ?prepared.”

Three dishes were featured on the menu: Pollo en Pepitoria, Magro con Tomate and Tortilla de Patatas.

Pollo en Pepitoria is a roasted chicken drizzled with almond sauce and served with potatoes. Magro con Tomate is a Catalan pork with tomato and served ?with rice.

Tortilla is a common Spanish dish similar to an omelet, served as a wedge of fried egg and ?potatoes.

Gray said tortilla is as traditional in Spanish culture as a hamburger is in American culture. He said all of the options provided a sampling of traditional flavors without many surprising spices or flavors.

“It’s pretty approachable food,” Gray said.

Exposito said he has been surrounded by food and food preparation all of his life through his family upbringing.

“It comes naturally for him,” Pablo Martín Domínguez, Exposito’s translator, said.

Exposito said he was excited to share the flavors of Spain with IU students.

He said he likes to have the capacity to be able to deliver the experience to the average student, whether they are from the United States or international.

Martín Domínguez is originally from Spain and spoke to the true talent of Exposito.

He said the ingredients might differ here from those used in Spain, but the dishes were replicated to perfection.

“When you can cook traditional food from basically the other side of the planet, that speaks volumes,” he said. “I have tried everything and it tastes the way it should.”

Students were met with the variety Exposito’s cuisine provided in the IMU Food Court on Monday. ?Junior Chiang Tieng Tan said the new chef meant a new menu.

“And, of course, I’m excited about that,” she said.

Today, Exposito’s cuisine is on the menu for lunch from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Indiana Memorial Union Tudor Room.

Gray said IMU Dining plans to continue providing diverse dining options for students this semester, even after Exposito’s visit. He said his hope is to collaborate with cultural student organizations to involve them in featuring more authentic dining ?options.

“It just puts another stamp of authenticity when you have a student that’s actually from that country involved in the process,” he said. “We’re not just making their food, we actually have somebody from that country making their food with us.”

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