Jonas Favela is the executive chef at Vast, a job that includes overseeing lunch, dinner, tasting menus, banquets, Nova Lounge, and a crew of dozens. The Las Vegas native has been an Okie most of his life, and he's spent a good chunk of his career in some of OKC's best restaurants, including The Metro, The Ranch, and now Vast. He had his own spot a couple times, including Graffiti in The Parlor, the spot where I first had his red curry salmon, a dish that has been added to the Vast tasting menu and one for which I waited seven years to have again since the closing of Graffiti. Favela joined Vast after moving over from The National, both Coury Hospitality food programs.

Favela demonstrated immediately that his approach to the exec role at Vast would take a very new direction, one that involved collaborations, teambuilding, and better utilization of multiple spaces, including the new Nova Lounge. His team includes many of the best young chefs in the city, as well as veteran leadership from Executive Pastry Chef William "Bill" Wilson. He also gets a ton of help from FOH veterans Evan Askey (GM) and Colby Poulin (beverage director). Favela is a team guy; he knows how to work beyond ego, a quality much on display in his collaborations with local chefs like Justin Brown and Caleb Stangroom, the latter of which will have a Tiger Style popup at Vast on August 26. Brown debuted his soon-to-open Somos in a private dinner at Vast earlier this year. We invited Favela on the show to talk about this collaborative approach to leadership and hospitality.