Anthony Salguero
Popoca | Oakland, CA
September 2026
When he was just 15 years old, Anthony Salguero started cooking at a ranch lodge, where his mother worked as an executive assistant, in Montana. After high school, Salguero felt drawn to the calming chaos of the kitchen and got a job at The Red Crane in Cupertino, California, a Japanese restaurant where he refined his knife skills and tackled fish butchery. He enrolled in culinary school soon after and graduated with a certificate from the Professional Culinary Institute. While still in school, Salguero started working at the Plumed Horse under Chef Peter Armellino, cooking his way through every station and briefly running the fine dining restaurant's pastry program. He then made his way to San Francisco and spent time cooking at Michelin-starred restaurants like Commonwealth and Saison, where he fine-tuned his technique and learned to improvise, collaborate, and stay organized in the kitchen. After stints at La Folie and then Quattro at the Four Seasons in Palo Alto, Salguero moved to Oakland to help open Michel with before joining the opening team of Bardo.
In 2018, Salguero decided to take a break and explore his roots. He started taking trips down to El Salvador to immerse himself in its history, culture, and cuisine. When he returned to the United States, Salguero began hosting pop-ups inspired by his time in El Salvador. Although the pandemic slowed things down, he kept cooking and continued to gain a loyal local following. Salguero built on that momentum and opened his restaurant, Popoca, in Downtown Oakland in 2023. Through dishes like his salt cod pupusas with green garlic and queso, he is celebrating the traditions of Salvadoran cooking while utilizing peak California produce. Along with supporting the growth and development of his staff, Salguero and his team also work with local organizations like No Immigrants, No Spice, which advocates for immigrant safety and rights, and Mandela Partners, helping formerly incarcerated individuals re-join the workforce.
2026 StarChefs San Francisco-Oakland Rising Stars Award Winner
