After finishing College, Omar attended the prestigious cooking school, the Culinary Institute of America in upstate New York where was classically trained and received a BA in Restaurant Management. He would go on to cook and stage at some the best kitchens in New York City for next 15 years.  Kitchens such as Alain Ducasse at Essex house, Eleven Madison, Momofuku and BLT before devoting his talents to Peruvian cuisine. He helped head kitchens at Panca, Nuela, La Mar Cevicheria and 2011 he headed the very ambitious, Raymi New York Peruvian kitchen and pisco bar.

Throughout the years Omar has traveled around the world and has apprentice at some the worlds best restaurants. He has eaten from the most humbled street carts to the most influential restaurants to find inspiration and feed his passion.

He brings all of this, experience, knowledge, and inspiration to Dubai.  Now more than half a decade in Dubai and many accolades he has become one of premier chef and culinary director of SLAB group restaurants. In addition he owns Cocina rodriguez consultancy that has help develop array of projects from casual to high all the way from San Francisco, New York to the Middle East.