Chef Angel Rene Franco was born and raised in Puerto Rico, where at a young age he showed interest in food and cooking. As a teenager he had his first taste of cuisines outside of the island on a trip to Europe. This experience exposed him to food and culture from other countries and influenced the way he looked at food, igniting his thirst to travel to experience and work with different cuisines.

He is classically French trained as a graduate of the late French Culinary Institute in NYC and has since traveled extensively weaving his multi-cultural tastes into his approach to food. His professional work includes several restaurants, ranging from New York, Spain, North Carolina, France, Copenhagen and Washington DC. Most notable, Minibar by Jose Andres, the late Picholine in NYC, Herons in North Carolina and Noma in Copenhagen.

One of his proudest moments was cooking for a US President and First Lady at the White House while working under Chef Jose Andres. He is thrilled to be part of the Santa Fe community and has found his home at Palace. He likes to prepare food that is honest, straightforward and pays homage to the product. His work philosophy is to meld integrity, flavor and soul into all aspects of his cooking and onto the plates and smiles of people who simply love communing over food.