Check Out Ria Dolly Barbosa’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ria Dolly Barbosa.

Hi Ria Dolly, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’ve been in the restaurant industry for 23 years and I can honestly say that it still makes me as giddy and gives me as much joy as the day I walked into my first kitchen job.

I attended the California School of Culinary Arts in Pasadena right after high school in 2001. My externship took me to the MGM Grand in Las Vegas where I got to rotate through various kitchens on the property. I’d eventually land at The Mansion at MGM Grand, and as exciting as it was to be around luxury ingredients like foie, caviar and truffles, I found myself becoming frustrated with how meticulous Chef Phillipe Rispoli ran his kitchen. Everything had to be perfect. Everything had to be precise. And that often meant I’d go home frustrated to the point of tears. But halfway through my time there, I realized learning and having those high standards would give me a very strong foundation for my career. After two years at The Mansion, I worked my way through the Lutece and Michael Mina kitchens, before landing on the opening team of Daniel Boulud Brasserie with Chef Rispoli again for the opening of the Wynn Hotel in 2005.

When I moved back home in 2010, I began working in Chef Corina Weibel’s Atwater Village restaurant, Canele, learning farm to table cooking and forging relationships with many farmers at the Wednesday and Sunday Farmers Markets. That knowledge led me to my first Chef role – launching and manning Sqirl’s first two years from just a jam company to the popular restaurant it is today. I opened a few more cafe/coffee concepts with Go Get Em Tiger and Paramount Coffee Project before focusing on Filipino-American concept Petite Peso in DTLA and it’s Honolulu contemporary, Peso before coming back home to L.A. in 2024.

On my second homecoming to LA, I reunited with longtime friend Chef Alvin Cailan and his Chinatown restaurant Amboy. I joined the team and began doing weekly steak frites and burger specials. My previous restaurant opening experience meant I was a perfect fit to help Chef Alvin open Burgers by Alvin Cailan in Manila and soon to be open Alvin’s in Dubai where I’ve been splitting my time this year.

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?
A diamond doesn’t become a diamond without immense pressure and I’ve definitely encountered my fair share of challenges.

A restaurant where I was able to put my creativity on the menu started off great. I’m no stranger to knowing if a menu item becomes popular, it often becomes a fixture on the menu. But when you start taking credit for the work I or my team has done is when it becomes a problem. Especially from someone who isn’t a Chef, but a restaurateur – and a good one at that if I’m going to be completely honest. Another restaurant I worked at was not transparent about the financial health of the business and coupled with a mercurial relationship between the owners, made for an unfortunate combination.

These challenges, much like my time at The Mansion kitchen, forced me to shift my perspective again and allowed me to learn that clear communication is incredibly important. How I shouldn’t expect or assume an employer will take care of me or give me my flowers. And that I’m always advocating for myself moving forward.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a professional Chef with 23+ years of experience in fine dining, Filipino, French, California-Mediterranean and farm to table cuisine.

I specialize in making delicious food and am known for my contributions to the rising coffee/cafe spots of the 2010s.

In 2015 I became a part of the foundational Barkada L.A. group meeting likeminded Filipino American Chefs who at the time were running some of the best restaurants across Los Angeles – Alvin Cailan, Lord Maynard Llera, Chad Valencia, Isa Fabro, Cat Castaneda, Russell Victorioso, Ken Concepcion, Andre Guerrero, Nico de Leon, Merrin Mae Gray, Sally Camacho, Charles Olalia, et al. This exposure gave me the confidence to launch my popups Sugba and Polvo Cookie in recent years – both of which I’m incredibly proud of but unfortunately have not had much time to focus on lately.

What’s next?
It’s hard to say at the moment – I’m very much appreciative and happy with what I am currently doing – it’s an amazing opportunity. But I do look forward to more opportunities to train and launch restaurants around the globe.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://riadollybarbosa.wordpress.com/
• Instagram: @riadollybarbosa