The Making of an Executive Chef
The days of the celebrity chef with an outsized, forceful personality are over. A new wave of thoughtful, collaborative executive chefs is moving the pendulum toward a congenial team approach for the benefit of the dining public.
Among them is The Patio Group’s (TPG) new Corporate Executive Chef Jarrod Moiles, recently appointed to lead TPG’s outstanding culinary team.
Moiles comes to TPG from his previous role as executive chef at Rancho Valencia. During his tenure, Rancho Valencia achieved multiple restaurant and resort honors, including AAA Five Diamond Hotel status and Four Diamond Restaurant recognition; and Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Hotel ranking and Four-Star Restaurant ranking for the first time.
Overseeing The Patio Group of restaurants, including The Fireside by the Patio at Liberty Station, The Patio on Lamont in Pacific Beach, and longtime Mission Hills neighborhood favorite The Patio on Goldfinch in Mission Hills, Moiles’ goals are to refresh and reinvigorate the individual themes for each restaurant property.
Moiles focuses on the ways that sharing meals brings people together, and creates memories. “We are in the business of people. You make memories with friends and family over a meal. It’s how Gina (Champion Cain, founder, president, and CEO of The Patio Group, a division of American National Investments) got started, by bringing people together. The Patio Group stands for something special to our community,” said Moiles.
Embracing this philosophy, Moiles says he strives to “create harmony” among restaurant staff at all levels and in every role. “I get to know everybody. I want to be a mentor, a leader,” said Moiles. “There are chefs who lead through intimidating behavior, I decided long ago it wasn’t the way I wanted to be. Great restaurants become great when an entire team commits itself to working together to achieve success.”
“It is no small accomplishment to bring Chef Jarrod Moiles to The Patio Group,” said Champion-Cain. “There are plenty of executive chefs with first-rate culinary skills, and Chef Jarrod is one of them. What impresses us is his sense of community and teamwork, centered on the quality meals we share. His philosophy will refresh and enhance our menus and the experience of every guest at our tables.”
Moiles enjoys the seasonal fresh produce and seafood available year-round in Southern California. He builds menus by finding the freshest seasonal ingredients and putting them at the heart of his menus, a philosophy he intends to bring to The Patio Group.
“It’s the best feeling to watch a dish come together in the kitchen with ingredients working together to create delicious flavors” explains Moiles.
Jarrod Moiles grew up in rural Massachusetts, where he and his three brothers learned from an early age the importance of fresh ingredients and the rituals of cooking and eating meals together as a family.
“I learned the benefits of cooking with fresh ingredients from the earth first hand,” says Moiles. “Now that I am a parent, I feed my children the same fresh ingredients.”
Moiles accepted his first executive chef role at the young age of 23 in 2000. In 2012, Chef Jarrod arrived in San Diego without a job. He secured a position as sous chef at Rancho Valencia, and within a short time was offered the role as executive chef.
When not in the kitchen, Moiles is a devoted father and husband, and a fitness enthusiast enjoying the Southern California lifestyle. He loves rescuing dogs and supports animal rescue.
Category: Business, feature, featured, Local News
