Chef Abel Rosas makes sure the staff at Isotropic Networks, Inc. is well fed.
He works with Isotropic Networks co-owner Hank Zbierski and other staff members to plan out meals for an entire week.
Rosas prepares themed lunches for holidays and special events. For example he prepared a lunch that included tamales, rice, beans and tacos in early May in honor of Cinco de Mayo. He said he tries to prepare meals that will satisfy the staff’s different tastes.
“I plan meals Monday through Thursday with them. We sit down every Thursday to plan out healthy meals for our guests,” Rosas said. “I learn what they like and what they don’t like. Sometimes we have guests that have a certain diet, so we have to work with their diets.”
“We use a lot of books for ideas,” Rosas said. “We have books that we look at and say, ‘Ok, what recipes do I want to cook next?’ There’s a lot of collaboration. I’m very seasonal, so I like to come up with dishes that are seasonal, too.”
Zbierski said Rosas cooks quality and healthy meals for the staff. He said Rosas prepares different styles of cuisine for employees to enjoy.
“Chef Rosas has become inept to different cuisines, so it’s a great experience for employees that really don’t get out to experience things like that,” Zbierski said. “So it expands more of their pallet.”
Rosas’s meals receive positive reviews from other staff members at Isotropic Networks.
“He’s an amazing chef. He’s just not a great cook, but he has an amazing personality,” Linda Johnson, Isotopic Networks employee, said. “He’s always friendly. He’s always smiling.”
Katie Weis, human resources manager for Isotopic Networks, said Rosas puts a lot of work into his meals.
“The presentation he does it’s not like, ‘Here’s your meal.’ It’s a whole experience. It’s a production,” Weis said.
Rosas also prepares meals for Isotopic Networks’ clients during business meetings.
“We have clients who fly in to talk to us and find that it’s always easier to have dinners here and have him cook,” Weis said. “Sometimes when you’re talking business and you’re out at a restaurant, you don’t always know who’s talking. You don’t know who’s, who so it’s beneficial for the company, in every way, to have him cook here.”
Rosas participates in several community events including Bacon Fest Taco Fest, both of which are co-hosted by the Wisconsin Valley Media Group— the parent company of the Lake Geneva Regional News— on behalf of Isotopic Networks.
“He sponsors me for the events, so we can be a part of the community,” Rosas said. “For us, it’s to be a part of the events and it’s away to make people aware of us.”
Helping to support local businesses
Officials from Isotopic Networks purchase the meats for the meals from Wilson Farm Meats in Elkhorn and Lake Geneva Country Meats and the produce from local farmers.
“We like to support local farmers and meat providers,” Rosas said. “All the ingredients we can’t source locally, we source from other areas.”
Zbierski said on days when Rosas is not working at Isotopic Networks, his staff usually eats lunch at local restaurants.
“We still frequent our local restaurants. We have accounts with a few restaurants,” Zbierski said. “So when Chef Rosas is not available or on Fridays when he rests up, we are patrons of our local establishments.”
Rosas began working as a chef for Isotopic Networks after meeting with Zbierski in 2021.
Past experience
Before coming to Isotopic Networks, Rosas worked as the head chef for the Grandview Restaurant at Geneva Inn. He also has worked at Simple Cafe and Oakfire Restaurant.
Rosas also operates his own catering company, Elena In Home Catering.
“So we’re a private chef company, and we do a lot of events and private events for customers in Lake Geneva,” Rosas said. “We go throughout the whole Midwest, which we travel during the weekends.”
Rosas participated in the “Favorite Chef” worldwide competition in 2021 and took third place in the quarterfinals.
Rosas said he developed an interest in cooking from his grandmother, Elena Gomez.
“She was blind. She would touch the ingredients and taste all the flavors,” Rosas said. “It just warms my heart thinking about her. My mom is a great cook, too.”
“Local Chef Makes Sure Staff at Local Communications Company Is Well Fed.” Lake Geneva News, 2023, https://lakegenevanews.net/news/local/local-chef-makes-sure-staff-at-local-communications-company-is-well-fed/article_14833f88-056a-11ee-9b7f-6ba7a6fd5f05.html