'Chasing the Flames' takes cooking to an outdoor New Mexico kitchen

Albuquerque resident George Lovato Jr. has found his love for cooking — and he’s taking it to the masses.

Lovato’s “Chasing the Flames” airs on Comcast channel 26 and on YouTube.

The cooking show features Lovato making recipes in his outdoor kitchen with the Sandia Mountains as the backdrop.

“This is what I’ve wanted to do,” he says. “I put my heart into it and it’s coming together.”

Lovato and the series crew have been hard at work and recently wrapped the second episode for the second season.

The journey to “Chasing the Flames” has been a labor of love.

About four years ago, Lovato began to build an outdoor kitchen, a do-it-yourself project, which includes a wood-fired grill, oven and smoker.

“I’d wanted to put a show together for years and what better place than Albuquerque,” he says. “Albuquerque has always been home, even though I was born and raised in Southern California.”

Lovato calls himself an on-call outdoor chef because he also has a full-time job.

“I am very passionate about helping entrepreneurs achieve their individual American dreams by assisting them with finance and management of their growing and successful enterprises,” Lovato says. “But I have another passion. With ‘Chasing the Flames,’ I’m going to teach you how to use every outdoor cooking appliance, and I am going to give great outdoor cooking recipes, show you shortcuts that work and are acceptable in the culinary world, proper prep and cooking techniques, a ton of safety tips, proper use of tools and utensils — as well as how you need to deal with all forms of changing weather.”

With a more than 30-year background in merchant banking and corporate finance, Lovato has owned five restaurants and remained at the front of the house.

“I have always been the menu concept guy and I picked partners who know the kitchen and they never failed,” he says.

Because of his love for the culinary world, Lovato also found himself enrolling in classes at Central New Mexico Community College.

“CNM does a really good job at learning technique,” he says. “You don’t go there to learn recipes. I had learned a lot of bad habits during my life and being in the classes helped correct these habits. It’s been a great experience for me to get into the kitchen and learn the proper procedures.”

Lovato and the film team usually film two episodes in one day. When the day is over, the crew will gather to eat the featured cuisine.

“It’s a bonding experience that you can’t get anywhere else,” Lovato says. “It’s important for us to do this because it builds trust and respect among us all.”

Lovato wants the focus of the series to be on cooking outdoors, but there is more planning to be done.

“There’s so much to know about the different types of flames,” he says. “Of course, we get into safety tips and how to plan the fires. The first season is eight episodes of showing viewers how to use the flame in a unique way. Wood-fire cooking is all the rage right now.”

“Chasing the Flames” recently got picked up by BingeTV.

“I think a lot of people agree that this is a network quality show,” he says. “The way it’s structured is built for viewers. The series also showcases Albuquerque and New Mexico, which is one of the best reasons to do it.”

'Chasing the Flames' takes cooking to an outdoor New Mexico kitchen