Today we’d like to introduce you to Ellen Ramos.
Ellen, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My name is Ellen Ramos. I am the youngest of 6 kids. with two immigrant parents. My mother is from CDMX, and my father was Salvadorean. I was born and raised in Los Angeles, El Sereno to be exact 😀
I began my culinary journey by going to Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena in 2013. I landed my first kitchen job while in school with the Patina Restaurant Group where I started as a savory cook and somewhere in my time with them, I began to take over the pastry work by my 3rd year with the group. The majority of my pastry training has all been through teaching myself at work, watching youtube videos, reading any and every pastry book I can get my hands on. It wasn’t until my 5th year with Patina that I decided to move on actually learn from a pastry chef. I ended up taking the little I knew and got hired at 71 Above. I learned what I could from the pastry team and Chef before unfortunately he moved on. I decided to move on shortly after and moved to NYC for a bit. After being there for a couple of months I decided to move back home, and my mother unfortunately became ill. While taking care of her for a bit I got back into the kitchen scene and opened Yours Truly in Venice until the pandemic took us out… It wasn’t until 2021 where I felt like my pastry career really began. I had an old friend who had just opened L.A. Cha Cha Cha with a restaurant group who had come out from CDMX. He was their CDC at the time and my old sous chef while at Patina. I took the job with them knowing someday I would get my chance to work on pastry at some point. I began on the cold line and slowly started taking over pastry by improving their current dessert menu which was only two desserts. One day my chef gave me the chance to come up with MY first ever pastry tasting. This was big for me because everywhere else I made desserts they never really belonged to me or were under my name it was always the chef telling me what they wanted, and I just had to execute with that; this time it was all on me. I was so nervous because I didn’t know what I was doing or where to begin. I had a small sit-down meeting with my chefs at the time, and they all spent a couple of hours with me hearing my ideas and giving me feedback or suggestions at the end of the day I landed on about 12 or 16 items where I took inspiration from my city, my family, friends and anything nostalgic to me. In the short year with the group, I was handed over the pastry menu and began with 8 items that allowed me too finally step into my own and show what I can do. Shortly after the accolades began to come in for pastry and I was able to develop a pastry department across the restaurant group. I am very delighted and extremely grateful to now be the company’s Executive Pastry Chef and oversee L.A Cha Cha Cha in the Arts District, Loreto in Frogtown, and now I have been given the opportunity to lead the newest project that is ALL pastry related a bakery called Santa Canela in Highland Park.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not necessarily, when you are mostly teaching yourself it’s hard to not have that support of someone who understands the pastry world.
As you know, we’re big fans of Muy Salsa Restaurant Group . For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I am a Pastry Chef. I have always loved this line for work and the science that goes into it. The reactions of how things work together and how precise one has to be. Something I am known for is the L.A. Churro, it is a churro in the shape of the iconic LA sign. When I was told I had to put a churro on the menu I felt a certain way about it. . I didn’t want to fall into the gimmick of having a churro on the menu at a Mexican restaurant. I wanted to make sure if I was going to do it, it was going to be different, one day I was pipping shapes with our now purchasing manager and we were playing around to see what looked cool with the last of the dough I had left I pipped the LA sign because like every other Angelino I love to represent my city and that’s when I knew we did something. The iconic LA Churro was born and now it is a staple across all three locations. At LA Cha Cha Cha we have a medium sized one which is the first one, at Loreto it is a mini-LA sign and at the bakery Santa Canela it is a LARGE LA sign.
I am most proud of how much I have grown, and all the support I have been given to keep going every day. I don’t think I know where to begin on this. I will always be grateful to have been given a position where I have created a platform to be able to train and grow someone else and open new doors for them.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Sin Miedo !
I wish I knew this little phrase a long time ago, it translates to “without fear”. The way I look at it now is if you are scared to do something you are giving yourself room to fuck something up. Just do it. Give yourself the room to learn something new without hesitation.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @santacanela.la
Image Credits
She is contracted and cannot give the credits, but we have full rights to use images.
