Words by Elaine Wu
For Roberto Juarez, the road to becoming Roja’s executive chef and co-owner was paved with plenty of hard work and determination. When he moved to New York City at the age of 20 by way of Puebla, Mexico, he admittedly didn’t have too many career paths available. He did, however, have a love of cooking. “My aunt would teach my mom how to cook and I would always help them in the kitchen when I was a kid,” he remembers. “So when I got to New York and I didn’t have a lot of job options, I chose restaurants.”
Roberto started from the bottom, first as a dishwasher, then making his way through almost every job in the kitchen. “I didn’t care if I was getting paid more or not,” he says. “I liked learning everything I could in the kitchen.”
Eventually, Roberto cut his professional teeth working at both high-volume restaurants as well as fine dining establishments. “I would learn how to cook quickly when I worked at a huge Italian restaurant where we would do 900 covers on a Saturday night,” he recalls. “But I also learned classic skills from Michelin-starred chefs I started working with after that. So I learned how to cook efficiently while using refined techniques. I didn’t go to culinary school but that was my schooling right there.”
When Roberto moved to the Bay Area after marrying a South Bay native in 2013, he began working for restaurateur Andrew Welch. That’s where he met James Ashe, now his business partner at Roja, who was working as the sommelier. In 2017, the two followed Andrew to his newest restaurant. “When he opened Asa in Los Altos, I really thought I could do something special here,” Roberto says fondly. “And it worked. It was popular from the beginning.”
But earlier this year, when Andrew mentioned the possibility of selling Asa to focus solely on his other Asa restaurant in Los Gatos, Roberto got inspired. “I told Andrew, ‘Before you sell the place, let me see what I can do.’” He and James had always talked about being in business together but weren’t sure they were ready, so they spent time looking over all the numbers before deciding to go all-in. “It was a little scary but we already knew the ins and outs of this place. In some ways, it was meant to be.”
Andrew closed the Los Altos Asa permanently in June. But just a week later, with Roberto in charge of the kitchen and James running the front of the house, the duo reopened the restaurant as Roja. The new name is a combination of the first syllable of both Roberto’s and James’ first names, symbolizing their partnership.
The food at Roja is focused on local ingredients using Roberto’s signature French techniques, hand-making just about everything. As a result, Roja has a varied yet concise menu that highlights the best of California’s seasonal ingredients. “I like having a smaller menu because I like things to be really fresh,” Roberto says. “Each dish is made to order. We care about what we do so we don’t take shortcuts.”
Standouts include the duck, featuring both a smoked and dry-aged breast as well as a confit leg served with Swiss chard, carrot purée and plum compote; lobster toast with celery, Calabrian chili and crème fraîche; and handmade stuffed pastas like the ravioli carbonara filled with cheeses and a creamy egg yolk in the center. “Our dishes have the quality of a fine dining restaurant but it’s not stuffy,” Roberto explains. “We want our food to be approachable, but we also want to be a place where people can come and celebrate something special.”
After 20 years in the restaurant business, Roberto is feeling good about his career and where his love of food has taken him. ”It’s almost like a dream. It still doesn’t feel real,” he says. “I love what I do. If you don’t, especially in this industry, you’re done. Trust yourself and never give up.”
CARROT PURÉE This full-flavored sauce is a great accompaniment to duck, pork or beef. Ingredients 1 tablespoon olive oil 1½ cups chopped carrots (3/4 pound) ½ cup white wine 1 fresh thyme sprig ½ teaspoon coriander seeds ½ teaspoon fennel seeds ½ teaspoon turmeric powder ½ cup chopped onions ½ cup heavy cream 1½ cups vegetable stock 2 ounces butter, room temperature kosher sal In a large pan, add olive oil and sauté the onions with the herbs and spices for about 8 to 10 minutes on medium-high heat until translucent and tender. Add carrots and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until carrots are a golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside. Deglaze the pan by adding white wine. Bring it to a boil and let it reduce by half, about 10 minutes. Add vegetable stock and cook for 15 minutes more. Add in heavy cream and cook for another 5 minutes. Transfer everything into a blender. While the blender is running, add the butter and continue blending on high speed until smooth. Add salt to taste.