When you first enter Penn Quarter’s Jaleo, you’ll see crowds, staff and plenty of food. But chances are you will not see Ramon Martinez, the ebullient young chef who rules over Jaleo’s kitchen, because he is busily cooking. In fact, Martinez gets to work in tandem with his boss, Jose Andr?s, and help control food quality in all three Jaleos (Crystal City, D.C. and Bethesda). A lifelong passion for cooking launched him. “This comes from my grandmother and mother,” he said, recalling how after school each day in Terrassa, Spain he would anticipate enjoying his mother’s fresh escudella, a Catalan stew with chicken, ham and sausages. “I remember my mom making this every day.”
Martinez said that even his dad’s love of food helped inspire him. “My dad loves fancy foods,” he said, “so he cooked for guests. He has all the kitchen tools. He learned from what he watches others do. So my Mom cooked normal dishes; my Dad, fancy ones.”
