Q&A with Jocelyn Ramirez

How does cooking with plant-based food differ from cooking meat?

Jocelyn Ramirez: Cooking plant-based foods differs from cooking with animal products because it creates a sustainable practice that positively impacts our bodies, communities, planet, and our legacy as humans sharing the earth with the entire ecosystem.

Many low-income communities of color are plagued with preventable diseases like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, and cancer because of intersectional issues of race, class, and access that create systems that are not sustainable for our health.

Oftentimes, people in our communities believe that eating meat at every meal is our tradition, but I argue that praxis because our ancestors ate a plant forward diet prior to colonization, ever evolving our cuisine. When we plug ourselves back into a diet and lifestyle that honors the land and our ancestors, we continue to be one with the ecosystems that support us.

As a chef, do plant-based dishes spark your creativity in ways that meat do not or would not?

JR: Creating plant-based recipes opens up an array of so many new and interesting ingredients. People often think that eating plant-based means you’re cutting out to many ingredient options, but it actually opens up another world of ingredients and techniques that make this lifestyle so unique and cooking so much fun!

What have been the most challenging flavors to re-create in plant-based dishes?

JR: The most challenging flavors to re-create with plant-based ingredients are seafood flavors. There are a few ingredients I use such as heart of palm for ceviche, oyster mushrooms for a coctel, and jackfruit to make tuna; but unless you start to get into some of the more processed plant-based seafood ingredients, it’s a little tricky to get the flavors spot on. 

What are your richest summertime food memories?

JR: My favorite summertime food memories always take me back to walking through LA’s abundant farmers markets with plenty of ripe stone fruit, berries, kumquats, persimmons, guava, pomegranates, and so much more. Southern California is known for its extraordinary variety of produce, and summertime just amplifies our beautiful harvests. I have also been known to drive around LA at night and pick loquats off people’s trees in the early summer towards the end of their seasons peak. They are an oval yellow fruit with large seeds that grow wild throughout the city, and are rarely harvested for sales. 

When did you decide you wanted to turn your passion for food into a career?

JR: I’ve always been passionate about food -- from watching my abuelita prepare heaps of food for our family before I could get my hands dirty in the kitchen, preferring to watch the Food Network and PBS cooking shows over anything else, and eagerly following the advice of Jonathan Gold and Anthony Bourdain on the best places to enjoy a meal.

Food has always been a huge part of who I am, but I thought it was just a hobby. When I went plant-based years ago and started to explore my family’s traditional dishes with new ingredients, my family started to plant little seeds about opening up my own restaurant one day. I never imagined a plant-based lifestyle would be what made me shift careers from the safety of higher education to the uncertainty of the restaurant industry. I’ve never felt more certain about anything else -- this is exactly where I’m supposed to be. 

How does Los Angeles inform your mission as a chef?

JV: This city informs my mission to create accessible wholesome food to everyone across the entire city. Oftentimes, when people from other areas of the world think of Los Angeles, they tend to picture Hollywood movie sets and delicious Westside eateries. My work’s mission is to uplift the communities in Los Angeles that are sometimes overlooked throughout the Eastside of LA, and use the power of food to create new narratives that are more inclusive and healing. 

What is your vision for Todo Verde at The Ford?

JV: I’m excited to join The Ford team to amplify all the delicious local flavors coming out of the hands of LA’s chefs and food makers. I want people to walk into the Grab & Go Marketplace and feel like they’re walking through an LA farmers market or our beloved Smorgasburg. This goal is to give anyone who walks into The Ford a taste of LA’s best!

How did you choose the menu items for the Terrace Cafe at The Ford?

JV: I chose Todo Verde’s most requested and sought after dishes for our menu at the Terrace Cafe. There will be some shareable dishes to share with friends like ceviche and esquite, handmade organic blue corn tortillas topped with mushrooms en mole and jackfruit carnitas, our signature agua fresca like strawberry rose and chia, and craft beer and wine from local producers. 

Tell us about your agua frescas! What can we look forward to enjoying?

JV: I first started the business with just superfood smoothies and agua fresca on the menu, and have continued to make unique flavors that stand out from the typical, yet delicious, tamarindo and jamaica. I use chia seeds and maple syrup in all of our aguas, and our most popular flavors are strawberry and rose, black rice horchata, orange and orange blossom, kale and jalapeño lemonade, avocado and cucumber, and a lavender lemonade. 

If you could cook for any famous artist/musician who would that be? What would you make them?

JV: I always dreamt of cooking for the great Jonathon Gold, and I was fortunate to serve him an agua fresca during our humble beginning. He is greatly missed and I’m sad I never got a chance to serve him tacos de mushrooms en mole, jackfruit carnitas topped with pistachio pipian verde, and chiles rellenos stuffed with roasted potatoes and huitlacoche topped with tempeh chicharron and tamarindo salsa. I guess I’ll be cooking for him in the afterlife. 

What makes summertime at The Ford special to you?

JV: Summertime at The Ford is special because you get to enjoy LA’s warm summer night’s under the stars enjoying friends and family with some of LA’s best food and an eclectic range of musical performances. It’s truly one of LA’s gems!

Recipe: Jackfruit Carnitas Tacos

Try this delicious plant-based recipe from La Vida Verde, Jocelyn's new cookbook!

Yield: 4–6 servings
3 (20-oz) cans green jackfruit, drained, rinsed, and squeezed dry               
3⁄4 cup cooking oil, plus more for cooking as needed                   
Juice of 1 large orange, divided 
2 tbsp (14 g) ground cumin 
1 tbsp (3 g) dried oregano 
1⁄2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes 
Salt and pepper, to taste 
Tortillas or masa harina for tortillas 
1–2 lemons, cut into wedges 
Salsa of choice                   

Remove the non-shreddable core from the shreddable part of the jackfruit with a knife. Remove any seedpods from the shreddable parts and add them to the pile of cores. Add the shreddable jackfruit to a medium bowl. Mince the cores and seedpods with a knife until they are a similar texture to the shreddable jackfruit. Shred the jackfruit in the bowl, and add the minced jackfruit. Add the oil, half of the orange juice, cumin, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to the bowl of jackfruit and mix until fully incorporated.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and add the jackfruit to the skillet. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the jackfruit is seared and brown on all sides. You may need to add more oil as the jackfruit cooks. The skillet should have enough oil to help sear and brown the jackfruit. Add the remaining orange juice to the skillet. Serve this dish with tortillas, lemon wedges and salsa.