Victor Ramos never imagined that getting his hand slapped by a head chef would become the catalyst for building his culinary empire. But that moment at the Langham Hotel in Pasadena when a chef struck his hand over overcooked Brussels sprouts became his breaking point and, ultimately, his breakthrough.
“After that, I just quit,” Ramos recalls. “That was the final straw.”
Today, the Puerto Rican and Dominican chef has transformed that painful exit from fine dining into Casa de Lola, a thriving catering company, and Capicua, a wildly popular event series celebrating Afro-Caribbean culture across Los Angeles. But his journey to culinary success took several detours through self-doubt, family pressure and the grueling reality of restaurant kitchens.
Ramos’ love affair with food began at age 7 or 8, watching his mother and grandmother prepare traditional Caribbean meals. His family emphasized the importance of cooking and eating together, and young Victor wanted to be part of that magic.
“I’ve always just enjoyed how my family put so much emphasis on the importance of cooking and eating together as a family,” he says.
But when high school ended, Ramos felt pressure to follow his two older sisters’ footsteps into traditional careers. He enrolled at Cerritos College in 2011, taking journalism and writing classes.
“I just wanted to not be a disappointment to the family,” he admits. “I was doing things for others. My parents, my sisters and my family.”
As transfer time approached, Ramos confronted an uncomfortable truth that many can relate to in their journey. Journalism wasn’t his passion. After some soul searching, he asked himself what made him happy, what felt less like work and more like purpose. The answer brought him back to food.
He enrolled in Cerritos College’s culinary program, which had a reputation as one of the best in the 562 area. After completing the program, Chef Perini helped place him in real kitchens, emphasizing that hands-on experience was the best teacher.
His first job at El Cholo in Baldwin Hills delivered a harsh reality check.
“Nothing prepares you for being part of that line and pumping out dishes and not falling behind,” Ramos says.
Over the next five years, he worked up to seven different cooking jobs, each one chipping away at his enthusiasm. The long hours, stressful environments and pressure to execute someone else’s vision and foods he had no connection to, left him questioning his career choice.
“I’m like, man, this is crazy. Is this gonna be my life for the rest of my life?” he remembers thinking.
After leaving the Langham in 2014, Ramos decided to cook on his own terms. He launched Casa de Lola with his sister and aunt, named after his grandmother. They transformed his mother’s backyard into a pop-up restaurant, setting tables under a beautifully lit avocado tree and hiring family as servers.
“I wanted to represent my roots, my grandmother and my mother and everything I was taught when I was a kid,” he explains.
The four-course Caribbean meals became hits, leading to private chef gigs and catering opportunities. Ramos learned to keep it simple and authentic.
“I really just want to emulate the islands as much as I can,” he says. “I want to transport people to the Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico when they try my food.”
In 2022, Ramos and his cousin created Capicua, a Dominican party featuring food, music, dominoes and dancing. What started at a tiny Silver Lake bar called The Friend quickly outgrew its space. They moved to High Tide in downtown LA.
“We really want to share this love and good energy with others,” Ramos says. “If Afro-Caribbeans here in California can’t find that, hopefully they can find that within us.”
While Ramos dreams of opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant, he’s not rushing it.
“I’m enjoying my time right now, connecting with the people, being able to have the freedom of creating and doing whatever I want,” he says.
For now, he’s focused on creating experiences that uplift Afro-Latino culture and inspire others from his community.
“I came up from this community,” Ramos says. “I want to come back and invest in this community that I am grateful to be a part of.”
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