After a long career serving high-class diners at the five-star, nationally recognized Rancho Valencia, Jarrod Moiles is returning to the kinds of kitchens he loves most: local neighborhood eateries.
The Massachusetts native recently joined The Patio Group as its new executive chef and will start implementing more seasonal, locally sourced and innovative dishes to the group’s 11 restaurants. After growing up in a family known for gardening and making their own jams and jellies, Moiles was inspired to start his culinary career at the age of 13. His three older brothers were pursuing similar careers and he soon joined them in the restaurant industry.
“I started working with them doing prep and things like that, and I kind of fell in love with this rock ‘n roll, two guys screaming energy,” he said. “From then on I was hooked on the restaurant business.”
Moiles started formally training at Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island and then went on to work for various fine dining restaurants in Massachusetts. When he was only 23 years old, he accepted his first role as executive chef. Now 40, he’s excited to get back to the kind of restaurants that remind him of places he worked and dined in back home.
“I think of this little place back in Massachusetts that was my favorite,” he said. “It was an open kitchen, 30 seats and I got to know every guest coming in.”
“I was involved in the local community, and I did dinners at the high school for different charity events. That meant more to me than other accolades did. Because it was a personal connection with the community.”
It’s that sense of community and connection that he hopes to bring to TPG’s restaurants. Moiles plans on “rebuilding the energy” of the restaurants — like Fireside by The Patio in Liberty Station, The Patio Marketplace in La Jolla and The Patio on Lamont in Pacific Beach — through new locally sourced ingredients, shared plates and seasonal meals. By doing so, he says it’s not only helpful for diners who want to know where their food is coming from, but it’s a sustainable way to do business.”
“Things grow at certain times of the year for a reason,” he said. “And genuinely people are looking for those ingredients. At the same time, it’s good for the environment to utilize what’s available at the peak of the season.”
In addition to moving towards a seasonal menu, Moiles also hopes to foster a relationship with the community that’s more connected.
“I want to give people an environment that’s comfortable and reminds you of home. Like [at The Patio on Lamont] the aspect of being dog-friendly is like walking by your neighbor’s front yard and seeing people gathered for dinner.”
Moiles said that Fireside will be the first restaurant he refreshes with menu changes coming in June. For more information on Moiles and The Patio Group, visit thepatiogroup.com.
What are The Patio Group’s restaurants?
- The Patio on Lamont, 4445 Lamont St.
- The Patio on Goldfinch, 4020 Goldfinch St.
- Fireside by The Patio, 2855 Perry Road
- Saska’s Steakhouse, 3768 Mission Blvd.
- Himmelberg’s, 369 10th Ave.
- Bao Beach, 3735 Mission Blvd.
- Andrea’s Truffles, various locations
- Swell Coffee Co., 3833 Mission Blvd.
- Surf Rider Pizza Co., various locations
- Patio Express, 3415 Mission Blvd.
- The Patio Marketplace, 8910 University Center Lane
