Javier Ramos
Sqirl | Los Angeles
June 2017
Born and raised in L.A., Javier Ramos got his professional start in Chicago kitchens. He interned at Jason Hammel’s Nightwood, where Chef Jason Vincent taught Ramos how to handle ingredients and how to treat a restaurant’s team as family. Next, Ramos worked at Michelin-starred Vie in Chicago’s suburbs, learning Paul Virant’s put-by system and seasonal cooking.
Ramos returned to L.A. for work at Suzanne Goin’s Lucques. Th ere, he absorbed the ethos of quintessential California cuisine and sourcing. For his next move, Ramos joined the line of Jessica Koslow’s renegade Sqirl in Silver Lake. As Sqirl defi ed and then defi ned national cooking trends, he was along for the ride.
Now, he serves as Sqirl’s chef de cuisine, working with Koslow to build a vegetable-driven menu—sunny sandwiches and salads, crispy rice bowls, and sweet toasts—with a commitment to sustainability. Ramos’ kitchen is nearly waste-free, he’s a master dehydrator and preserver, and he has ditched ingredients that use too much water. As Sqirl expands, he hopes to continue to deliver innovative, responsible, and soul-satisfying food.
