Chef Javier Ortega was born and raised in Corona, New York City, a diverse neighborhood in the borough of Queens. This multicultural community helped to shape his ambition for success, his no-holds barred personality and a hunger for all things yummy.

The first generation off-spring of immigrant parents, a strong sense of pride and hard working ethics were a matter of fact in the Ortega household. Growing up in an extended bi-lingual family there was always a reason to entertain and most importantly COOK!! There was never a shortage of deliciousness in Javier’s family gatherings (which happened quite often).

Very early in his childhood Javier found himself following his appetite and his nose to the heart of all cooking households – the kitchen – the center of all things tasty and comforting (mom included). What started out as hunger and curiosity quickly developed into practice, participation, and a profound respect for his family’s ability to feed an army. Javier finally decided to pursue his passion for food and hospitality full-time in 2007 when he and his girlfriend moved to San Diego. Since then, he has fast tracked his career and has cooked for seven different restaurants and catering companies learning different styles and flavor profiles from each and incorporating them into his own brand of food.

Spanglish Eats is Chef Javier’s vision of his favorite home-style American and Latino dishes. Do you eat Spanglish?