CHECKING IN WITH ... ARTURO BRIONES:

Orange County Restaurant Week begins Sunday so we thought it would be a good time to check in with one of the local chefs who will participate in the inaugural event. This week, we ask Arturo Briones, executive chef at Wildfish Seafood Grille, what’s cookin’?

Tell us little about what you have on your menu for Orange County Restaurant Week.

We are featuring some of our most popular menu items on our three-course menu for the OC Restaurant Week. The Pacific ahi tuna tartar combines the spice of curry oil and red chiles with the sweet acid of citrus fruits. The Parmesan-crusted lemon sole is my favorite entrée on our menu, and it’s our most popular, too. Then, for dessert, we have a wonderfully tart lemon meringue pie with an Italian Brown Sugar Meringue.

Now, you’re also doing a live showcase at Bloomingdale’s in South Coast Plaza. Tell us a little about what you have planned for that, and have you ever done anything like that before?

We are going to be making several small plates featuring sashimi grade ahi tuna. I love working with this fish, it is so versatile, whether you prepare it raw, sauteed, grilled, you name it.

It’s so healthy but so flavorful, and you really don’t have to add much to it, just let the natural flavors shine.

This will be the first live cooking demonstration that I’ve done since taking over the executive chef position at Wildfish, and I’m really looking forward to it. (To find out more about restaurant week and the Bloomingdale’s showcase go to orangecountyrestaurantweek.com.)

We understand that you’re an architect. What got you into cooking?

I’ve always cooked for my family. Before I was married, I always cooked Christmas dinner and New Year’s dinner for my extended family. Then, when I got married, I taught my wife to cook. Cooking is a creative process, like architecture, or like art. First you have to have an inspiration in your mind, and then a desire in your heart to create from that inspiration.

Then, you create. Like in architecture, you draw inspiration from the natural elements around you, and you use shape, color, water, texture, to create something in harmony with its surroundings.

I have a similar process when I cook: I look for the best seasonal produce, the freshest ingredients, and try to represent the best of the season in a unique, creative way. But it always has to come from your heart. Even when I cook in a restaurant, I want to feel like I am cooking for my family. You can really taste it in the food when it is made with love.

What’s it like to cook with your son at Wildfish?

Arturo Jr. enrolled in culinary school in September. I wanted to bring him onto the staff to give him some real-world experience in the kitchen.

It’s a great feeling to be able to teach him what I know, and I know he will learn so much more in his career. He’s starting so much younger than I did, so he will have so many opportunities if he works hard. I tell him, “I’m waiting to see you on the Food Network!”

Who’s your favorite architect, and why?

My favorite architect is Luis Barragan. He is a very famous Mexican architect who designed museums, monuments and homes all over the world. He used really vibrant colors, and a very geometric style, and always water. His style was so simple, but he could take a small space and make it feel enormous and open.

Who or what do you daydream about cooking for?

I would love to open my own restaurant and just cook for friends and family and celebrities every night.

What’s your favorite dish?

My favorites are French and Italian food. I love all kinds of pasta. And really spicy Mexican food! I love all kinds of food — I can’t pick just one thing! Today my favorite could be one thing, but tomorrow, it will change! That’s what I love about living here, you can get almost any kind of food with a short drive!