SQUARE 1682
121 South 17th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Adjacent to Hotel Palomar Philadelphia
Tel: 215.563.5008
Google Map
 
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Executive Chef Guillermo Tellez
His 20-year restaurant resume, from the famed Charlie Trotter empire to Striped Bass to Philadelphia's own celebrated Starr Restaurant Organization, doesn't fully account for the Early Years.
As a child growing up in Ciudad Hidalgo in central Mexico, Executive Chef Guillermo Tellez recalls the colors and aromas that flavored his mother's kitchen and his neighborhood. Homemade breads and pastries. Chilies and vegetables at the market. Fondas serving made-to-order tortas and tacos...At 13, Tellez moved solo to the United States where he worked a variety of industries. When a friend asked him to help wash dishes at an International House of Pancakes, he realized then and there his career involved a kitchen.
With passion fires lit, Tellez went to school by day and worked in restaurants by night. Eventually, he earned degrees from the Kendall College for the Culinary Arts in Chicago and Madeleine Kamman's Professional Cooking School for American Chefs at Beringer Vineyards in Napa Valley.
His dedication to his craft was recognized by none other than Charlie Trotter. In 1989, Tellez began a globetrotting odyssey for Trotter, learning the Grand Cuisine level of sophistication while absorbing the flavors and cultures of different lands. His travels finally planted him in Las Vegas, where he became chef de cuisine at the Trotter restaurant at the MGM Grand. Shortly thereafter, Tellez was named the first winner of the James Beard Foundation's Felipe Rojas-Lombardi Award of Achievement for Hispanic Chefs. Accolades flowed in regularly from there. A few months after opening "C," a Charlie Trotter restaurant in Los Cabos, for instance, the establishment was listed as a "Best of the Best" in the Robb Report.
In 2007, Tellez became a member of Starr Restaurants as the executive chef of Striped Bass in Philadelphia and director of menu development for the Starr organization.
Now, as the executive chef of Square 1682, Tellez is marrying the rich flavors of his experiences and travels into different patterns and tastes. Far-flung accents and techniques mix in surprising fashion: there's Lemon Scented Hummus to spread on the herb and garlic naan bread; the sublime Yellow Fin Tuna "Tostadas" with marinated red onions, avocado and lime cream; and the NY Strip Loin, with pressed purple Peruvian potatoes, burgundy carrots and blue cheese gratin, is a delicious coming together of the continents.
Across the menu, Chef Tellez demonstrates a deeply rooted commitment to quality, freshness and eco-sound culinary practices. Each dish is handcrafted using sustainable and organic ingredients, from local seasonal produce to free-range meats and ocean-friendly seafood.
Chef Tellez and his wife, Leslie Swager, a pastry chef, live in Downingtown with their two beautiful daughters, Paloma and Montysé.
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