As I walk into chef Carlos Portelas restaurant, Orujo, nestled in the swanky restaurant district of Miramar in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Im greeted at once by John Lee Hookers blues. It shatters any expectations I had for a sterile environment often associated with fine-dining establishments in this area. The music sets the tone for what will be a truly immersive and sensorial experience, crafted by a chef whose every move is both intentional and, when it needs to be, playfully improvised.

Portela doesnt use the term restaurant to describe this place. Instead, he sees it as a workshop of sorts, where food, wine and community converge to create a one-of-a-kind encounter. With only seven tables, the space feels intimate, full of reflections of his life and passions. Local art by fellow chefs adorns the walls, and in the corner is a small library of lovingly annotated books about food. His childrens tennis shoes are hung on the ceiling a familiar sight in the barrios of the island in a tribute to his family.

Its evident that Orujo is unapologetically Boricua. Portelas lack of desire to conform to what it may mean to be a fancy chef is baked into Puerto Rican culture: We are proud of our vulnerability, our roots and our lack of pretense. There is no formal marketing for Orujo its popularity spreads purely by word of mouth, enhancing the restaurants mystique of el que sabe, sabe (if you know, you know).

Portela and sous-chef Christian handle everything at Orujo. When diners come in, Portela introduces himself as chef, owner and dishwasher, and he personally greets diners and serves each course, explaining the ingredients and preparation.

His philosophy of the culinary experience which includes relaxing into dinner as a multihour experience ensnared me, and everyone who dined around me that evening. Starting in what he calls an underground dining club in a garage in his hometown of Caguas, Portela went on to develop his concept in a more formal space, ultimately relocating to his current locale in the Puerto Rican capital three years ago. In his kitchen, there are no boisterous Yes, chefs only gentle murmurs of communication that complement the progression of several courses.

You know the concept now; theres no turning back, he says with a knowing smile. Our specialty, in a way, is our inconsistency. Theres not a day in which youll be served the same dish twice.

Portela has worked everywhere from hot dog stands to Michelin-starred restaurants in Spain, and his breadth of work is evident in the playfulness of his cooking style. But beyond his experience, his foundation is rooted in a deep and genuine understanding of food science and the culture of the island.

Each creation features at least one local ingredient as the star, such as guanime with lobster, cojina with apio, and breadfruit mofongo with local pork. I can present you oscietra caviar from Russia served with malanga puree, he says. But the dishs hero is the malanga, not caviar. Malanga, also known as yauta, is not a delicacy its a staple in Puerto Rican households, tracing back to the diets of the Indigenous Tano people.

Portelas courses come in the form of fabrications, which are, as he says, an ecosystem of ingredients that build upon each other. His methodology is highly improvisational adapting based on the local ingredients at hand, along with meticulous control of temperatures, and taking factors like weather, barometric pressure and the freshness of herbs into consideration which keeps both him and his guests on their toes.

Visitors have no idea what they will be served, relying entirely on Portelas expertise and vision. As one might imagine, his approach was not always well received when he was a young chef.

Diners would leave because there was no menu, he recalls. But persistence paid off, and now guests trust him implicitly, ready to join him for the ride without a road map.

He brought that exact energy to New York City in June for the Iconoclast Dinner Experience, an annual culinary event at the James Beard House that features some of the most innovative and influential chefs from around the world. The dinner where chefs showcase their unique culinary visions, collaborate with peers and push the boundaries of gastronomy is an opportunity to influence and inspire the future of dining.