i. Biography
Executive Chef at Capo in Santa Monica, California, Ricky Moreno works in a Modern Italian register that feels at once disciplined and generous, a style shaped by homemade pastas, fresh seafood, and fireplace-grilled meats. His résumé is compact and specific, but it carries the kind of quiet momentum that comes from years spent moving steadily upward: a Los Angeles head-chef post in 2010, a later executive-leadership and partner role, and the kitchen he leads today.
The Climb
Early in his career, Ricky Moreno worked as Head Chef at House Cafe in Los Angeles, a role that placed him at the center of the kitchen and asked him to set the pace day after day. It was an early proving ground, and one that helped define the shape of the chef he would become. The work suggested a clear culinary voice and an instinct for leadership, with the responsibilities of the position reinforcing both. In a city where kitchens can be fast-moving and unforgiving, that kind of post does more than fill a line on a résumé; it establishes a foundation. For Moreno, the head-chef seat at House Cafe in Los Angeles became an early marker in a career that would continue to lean on authority, precision, and steady advancement.
Today
Today, Moreno is Executive Chef at Capo in Santa Monica, California, where the cooking unfolds in a Modern Italian register. The menu’s language is defined by homemade pastas, fresh seafood, and meats cooked over the fireplace, a trio that gives the restaurant its rhythm and character. There is a directness to that approach, but also a sense of warmth, as if the kitchen is working in layers: the comfort of pasta made in-house, the clean pull of seafood, and the elemental appeal of fireplace-grilled meats. As Executive Chef, Moreno oversees that balance, guiding a kitchen that speaks with both polish and appetite. The setting in Santa Monica gives the role a coastal ease, while the Italian framework keeps the focus on craft and flavor. The result is a cooking style that reads as modern but grounded, expressive without feeling overworked.
Recognition
Moreno’s career arc is built on responsibility. The progression from head-chef leadership to executive-chef authority, and then to managing-partner oversight before his current kitchen post, sketches a professional path defined less by flourish than by earned trust. Each step suggests a widening scope: first the command of a single kitchen, then broader executive leadership, and then the layered demands of partner involvement. Taken together, those roles form the clearest recognition of his work. They point to a chef whose career has been shaped by more than one title, but by the accumulation of them, each one reinforcing the next.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Ricky
What is Ricky Moreno's current role?
As of 2026, Ricky Moreno is Executive Chef.
Where did Ricky Moreno work before?
Ricky Moreno's earlier career included House Cafe.
What is Ricky Moreno known for?
Modern Italian cuisine with homemade pastas, fresh seafood, and fireplace-grilled meats.
