Chef
Jaime Mendoza
- Discipline
- Chef
- Based in
- Los Angeles, California, United States
i. Biography
Jaime Mendoza cooks at Tacos Y Birria La Unica in Los Angeles, United States, with goat birria as the defining specialty. The work reads as a long apprenticeship in scale and precision: kitchens that asked for consistency, speed, and a steady hand under pressure, all of it accumulated one service at a time.
The Climb
The foundation was built at Chateau Vegas Gourmet Room (1981–1991), where long hours and exacting standards set the pace for the rest of the career. That discipline carried into Head Chef at Philips Supper House (1991–1998), then widened in larger rooms as Master Cook at Bellagio (1998–2000) and Assistant Chef at Todd English's Olives in Bellagio (2000–2005), where the demands of a prominent setting sharpened the work further. Executive Sous Chef at Cafe Bellagio (2005–2008) and Executive Sous Chef at Catering and Banquets in Bellagio (2008–2009) required technical control and measured judgment across large-scale service. The pattern across those years is clear: discipline, volume, and polish, with each post adding another layer to a deepening command of the kitchen. That experience later returned as Executive Chef at Todd English's Olives in Bellagio (2009–2012), then moved abroad as Executive Chef at Todd English Figs in Kuwait (2012–2013), Executive Chef at Todd English's Olives in Mexico City (2013–2014), and Executive Chef at Todd English Food Hall in Manila Philipines (2014). The sequence shows range without changing the core expectation: lead the room, keep standards intact, and hold service together. Today, Jaime Mendoza is Executive Chef of Todd English's Olives Abu Dhabi (since 2014) and chef of Tacos Y Birria La Unica. Across Bellagio, Kuwait, Mexico City, Manila Philipines, and Abu Dhabi, the through line stays practical: know the food, know the room, and keep service steady.
Today
Mendoza is chef at Tacos Y Birria La Unica in Los Angeles, United States.
Signature
Jaime's signature dishes include goat birria quesataco. It is the kind of dish that carries a long kitchen résumé in compact form: direct, focused, and specific.
In Their Words “It's being built right now and should be out within a month or two.” “We learned everything we could about this business.”
Recognition
The dish attached to Mendoza's cooking is goat birria. His own short account of the work is direct: "We learned everything we could about this business."
Profile updated August 2026
FAQ
Asked of Jaime
Where did Jaime Mendoza work before?
Jaime Mendoza's earlier career included Chateau Vegas Gourmet Room, Philips Supper House, and Bellagio.
What is Jaime Mendoza known for?
goat birria.
