Alejandra Chavez’s
first memories of food revolve around the family kitchen, but her path to the culinary scene did not begin there.

She obtained her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin in communications and business.  Having pursued other employment ventures first, Chef Chavez enrolled in culinary school in Florence, Italy, where she learned all about Italian cuisine and wine and obtained her culinary Master’s degree at the Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners (ICIF) where she was named “A friend of Italian Cuisine.”  She continued her culinary training in different kitchens, including some in Mexico but eventually returned to her roots in El Paso, Texas and began Thyme Matters in 2004 as a catering business and personal chef. Eventually, her small business grew into the 140-seat restaurant we know today.

Chef Chavez and her husband Iván Torres work side by side to serve the El Paso community with only the best ingredients and to provide them with great service and attention to detail. Their life’s work has been dedicated to the restaurant industry with a combined experience of over 25 years.

Returning to her roots in El Paso, Texas, Chef Chavez began Thyme Matters in 2004 as a catering business and acted as a personal chef.  Eventually, her small business grew into the 140-seat restaurant we know today. Most recently, Chef Chavez was invited by the Mexican Consulate to the world trade center in Mexico City as a representative from the city of El Paso to form a national restaurant association for Mexicans living in the United States.  She was selected as a prominent Hispanic business owner for the Paso del Norte Entrepreneurship Oral History Project, and has been recognized in the media as one of the finest chefs in the region by El Paso Style magazine, Sabroso, and the El Paso Times on numerous occasions. For over three years she hosted a cooking segment on the local NBC affiliate five o’clock news program.

She has participated in many local cooking events, charities and was invited to the Santa Fe Concorso in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where her flavorful food was savored by hundreds of people.  Chef Chavez’s passion is food… Being able to fulfill her life’s passion and serve others is really living her lifelong dream.