Today we’d like to introduce you to Ross Pangilinan.
I grew up in Southern California always being interested in cooking shows at a young age. A combination of my grandparents cooking and my Dad taking us and exposing us to all types of food from a hole in the wall Chinese to fine French Restaurants inspired my love for food. I went to Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena straight out of high school and finished culinary school in 2002.
I worked for a French chef at Big Canyon Country Club in Newport Beach who ultimately sent me to work in a 2 star Michelin Restaurant in Versailles, France. When I came back to SoCal, I worked at a friends sushi restaurant for a short period. Wanting to go back to fine dining I started with The Patina Restaurant Group at Pinot Provence in Costa Mesa. I quickly became a sous chef at the age of 21.
After two 1/2 years and another quick working trip in a 1-star Michelin Restaurant in France, I was transferred to the flagship Patina Restaurant in DTLA as sous chef. After a year, I left with the chef from Patina to open a restaurant in the brand new Encore Resort, Sinatra in Las Vegas.
When I was 26, I moved back home and took my first Executive Chef position with the Patina Group at Leatherby’s Cafe Rouge and The Segerstrom Center for the Arts where I stayed for seven years. During my time there, I got some good local recognition including Zagat’s “30 under 30” list and also started a family with my wife Tara and two kids Madeleine and Maddex.
At the end of 2016, I left to open my own restaurant Mix Mix Kitchen Bar in DTSA. In 2017, Mix Mix was Awarded Orange Coast Magazines Best New Restaurant. Wanting to get back to Costa Mesa I opened my second restaurant in the South Coast Plaza TERRACE by Mix Mix in 2018.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I don’t think opening any restaurant is a smooth road. Leaving a great secure job with the Patina group was a hard decision. We opened Mix Mix Kitchen Bar with no operating capital, and I didn’t pay myself for several months.
Luckily, when I was working in Vegas I purchased a house before I opened Mix Mix I sold it making a little bit of money to supplement not having a salary. We were also lucky to have some catering events in the beginning that got us going.
The biggest challenge, in the beginning, was training and working with the new staff finding all the right people. Different problems happen everyday, from new employees not showing up to work on the busiest days to things breaking or orders not coming in. But even on the worst weeks, things have managed to work out.
When we won Best New Restaurant by Orange Coast Magazine in April 2017 that boosted traffic and confirmed that I made the right decision to leave Patina and open my own restaurant.
Mix Mix Kitchen Bar and TERRACE by Mix Mix – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Award-winning Chef Ross Pangilinan presents Mix Mix, a globally inspired dining concept presenting dishes which see influence from traditional French and Italian to modern Filipino cuisines.
TERRACE by Mix Mix focuses on market-driven small plates. The cuisine showcases chef Ross Pangilinan’s eclectic style, which is influenced by French, Italian, and modern Filipino flavors, as well as his refined technique. An approachable wine list will have varietals by the glass and bottle as well as rotating craft beers. True to its name, the restaurant will showcase full-service dining in a beautifully designed covered terrace located at the west end of the Bridge of Gardens. A small wine bar, an open kitchen, and a chef’s table counter, offering an omakase-style tasting menu experience.
Chef’s passion for cuisine started at a young age, and he has since crafted it with a remarkable background of culinary experience including studying at Le Cordon Bleu, working at the two-Michelin-starred Les Trois Marche in France, the Patina Restaurant Group’s Pinot Provence and Patina, where they earned a Michelin star in 2007, opening Sinatra within Encore at the Wynn in Las Vegas, and as executive chef of Leatherby’s Cafe Rouge.
He opened Mix Mix Kitchen Bar in Downtown Santa Ana to rave reviews in 2016 and was named Restaurant of the Year by Orange Coast Magazine and Best New Restaurant by the Golden Foodie Awards. Pangilinan’s eclectic menu garnered glowing reviews from Southern California’s most discerning critics and drew diners from all across the county.
Chef Ross was named “Rising Star Chef” in 2018 at the Golden Foodies. His most recent accolade is being named, “Chef of the Year 2019,” by the Orange County Business Journal
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Ross Pangilinan Zagat’s “30 under 30” 2012
Mix Mix Kitchen Bar “Restaurant of the Year” 2017 Orange Coast Magazine
Mix Mix Kitchen Bar “Best New Restaurant” 2017 Golden Foodies
Ross Pangilinan “Rising Star Chef” 2018 Golden Foodies
Ross Pangilinan “Chef of the Year” 2019 Orange County Business Journal
Terrace by Mix Mix “Best New Restaurants” 2019 Orange Coast Magazine
I am proud to be a father, a husband and running two restaurants.
Pricing:
- Mix Mix Kitchen Bar 4 course prix fixe menu $46 pp/chef table $65 pp 5 – 6 courses
- Terrace by Mix Mix 4 course prix fixe menu $50 pp/chef table $125 pp 9-11 courses
- Both Restaurants Wine Wednesday complimentary wine pairing with 4-course menu.
-
A la carte menu $8 – $36 for both restaurants
Contact Info:
- Address: 300 N Main st Santa Ana CA 92701 (Mix Mix Kitchen Bar)
3333 Bear st unit 316 Costa Mesa CA 92626 (TERRACE by Mix Mix) - Website: mixmixkitchenbar.com / terracebymixmix.com
- Phone: 714-836-5158 / 657-231-6447
- Email: eat@mixmixkitchenbar.com
- Instagram: mixmixkitchenbar / terracebymixmix
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MixMixKitchenBar/ – https://www.facebook.com/terracebymixmix/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/mix-mix-kitchen-bar-santa-ana – https://www.yelp.com/biz/terrace-by-mix-mix-costa-mesa
Image Credit:
John Pangilinan
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
