Below Deck’s Chef Marcos Reveals Secret Service Got Involved in Bill Clinton’s Cooking

Below Deck chef Marcos Spaziani opened up about his craziest experience cooking for a celebrity in an exclusive interview with Dexerto, saying he completely freaked out while making food for Bill Clinton.

Below Deck fans will know Chef Marcos Spaziani from his appearance on Season 3 of the popular Bravo reality series. His friendly personality and stunning dishes stole the show – not to mention the fact that he suffered a horrific head injury.

Spaziani is teaming up with celebrity chef Louis Huh to open a new restaurant in Beverly Hills, named “Lou’Mar.” The restaurant combines dishes from Korea and Venezuela, offering a multitude of delicious dishes for the culinary curious.

We had the chance to attend a special press evening before Lou’Mar officially opened to the public and chat with the chefs about their new business, their future projects and their craziest cooking stories for celebrities.

Chef Marcos Spaziani talks Bill Clinton’s cooking and the Secret Service

Since Marcos and Louis are both chefs who have worked for a wide variety of high-profile clients, we had to ask them what was the most interesting experience they had while cooking for an A-Lister. Even though Chief Louis did not have an incident that stood out to him, Chief Marcos told us a story that certainly shocked us.

“I was cooking for Bill Clinton and Tony Blair at the same time,” he began. “I was cooking and I had the Secret Service behind me. One on each side. So I said to myself, “I know you’re going to be hungry. » The guys never answered me. Guys literally ignore me.

“Three hours later, one of them said, ‘Hey bro, do you have anything to eat?’ I say “Ah, you’re hungry now, aren’t you?” And then we kind of became friends.

“I kept cooking and then they were like, ‘Okay, drop the knife, get off the table.’ I said, ‘Fuck, I’m Latino, that’s all, I’m going to jail.’ I don’t know how it works. And I dropped the knife and walked out of the table, and that’s when Bill Clinton came in and shook my hand and we took a picture. It was a cool experience, but also a really strange and crazy experience. I was really scared.

Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia Commons

Chef Marcos opened up about his crazy experience cooking for former US President Bill Clinton.

Marcos Spaziani and Louis Huh aim for a Michelin star

The atmosphere at Lou’Mar is intimate. The restaurant sits just above Nerano, in a space that was once a speakeasy of sorts. Boasting a dark, rich decor in a small setting, Chefs Marcos and Louis are able to provide individual attention to guests, resulting in an unforgettable experience… which the chefs hope will earn them a Michelin star.

“Right now, our food is more refined,” the chefs said. “We run a small place, so we can focus more on the food, the flavors, the decorations. And our goal, at some point, is to have a Michelin star. We are on the way. I won’t say we’ll get it anytime soon, but I think we can get it.

Dexerto

The food at Lou’Mar is simply mouth-watering. These arepas come with brisket that melts in your mouth.

Korean food meets Venezuelan cuisine for a dynamic duo

A Korean-Venezuelan fusion restaurant certainly sounds unusual, but for chefs Marcos and Louis, it made sense. After working together for so many years — having previously run a food truck and a restaurant together — the duo began to notice that the flavor profiles of their countries’ culinary offerings weren’t that different.

“Well, believe it or not, Korean (food) culture and Venezuelan (food) culture have a lot in common,” Spaziani told us. “I didn’t know that either! Luis and I have known each other for seven years. We worked in many restaurants in Los Angeles. Then, you know, after the pandemic, we lost our jobs, so we got a food truck.

“And then from the food truck, you know, we became business owners. The nice thing about our food is, you know, every day we start cooking one dish for me, one for him. And I say, “This tastes like my food.” It tastes just like mine. So, what if we combine this, this and this?’

Dexerto

Lou’Mar’s mouth-watering charred octopus comes with shishito peppers and a mix of pork belly and fingerling potatoes.

“It’s difficult because in many countries the (food) cultures don’t match. And this one, for some reason, comes together so well. And then we realize, let’s do it. Let’s do it, let’s make a difference. Cheese, there, there, there — you know, the concept of many restaurants, and let’s do something that no one does, and that people are probably afraid to do, and we both decided to do it. The reaction from people has been incredible.

Although Louis and Marcos said they had some difficulties with their former business partner, the duo said it was a sort of blessing in disguise that allowed them to open Lou’Mar together. Now the couple is looking to the future – and we can’t wait to see how Lou’Mar develops.