NYU’s Chef Tati helped students through the pandemic boredom with her fun Tuesdays with Tati social media series, in which she demonstrated food “hacks” that could be easily done with dining hall items. Now, as summer heats up and New York City begins to come back to life after a long 18 months, Tatiana Ortiz prepares for innovative future menus, even as uncertainty still plays a role, especially on the catering side of things.
Ortiz describes early life in Columbia, her NYC roots and how flavors from around the world can combine into entirely something new depending on the chef. When Ortiz first came to live in New York as a teen, her persistence got her started in catering jobs which led to her current position at NYU. Preferring to go the extra mile on the job, Ortiz is optimistic about the rest of year, but cautiously so. She’s waiting to see what happens next, honing her culinary skills to nourish the campus community no matter what the future may hold.
