Roel Alcudia was born in the Philippines. His family raised cattle, pigs, and chickens and grew fruits and vegetables. Alculdia learned about the value, importance, and appreciation of the delicate balance of where our food comes from his family. His great grandmother cooked breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day for the house and the farm workers with whatever she could forage in the fields and had on hand in the house. After graduating from the French Culinary Institute, Alcudia  bounced around fine dining’s back of house learning everything and working as much as possible. He secured a job at Veritas, which felt like home. Scott Bryan was the chef/partner and through him, Alcudia learned the virtues of humility and integrity while practicing and honing the flawless technique that he implemented and demanded from his staff. On Bryan’s recommendation, Alcudia visited Barbuto, owned by Chef Jonathan Waxman in the West Village. Through Waxman, he learned how to approach food with the outmost respect — to let the quality of the food be the focal point and not the skill of the chef. “In other words, for the first time in my life, I learned how to cook,” explained Alcudia. Alcudia now the chef de cuisine for The Cypress Room, a Genuine Hospitality Group restaurant owned by Michael Schwartz.