Erik Aronow

Puesto | San Diego, CA

Born in Los Angeles and raised in the San Fernando Valley, Chef Erik Aronow has spent the past 15 years honing his skills at a handful of Los Angeles’ most revered, innovative and finest dining institutions.

After attending Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena, where he studied both savory and pastry techniques, Aronow had an early, impactful stint at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bistro in Beverly Hills. He later found himself in the kitchens at Red Medicine, Republique, Ink and, most recently, the boundary pushing Destroyer. He spent time under Top Chef Michael Voltaggio while at Ink before finding a pivotal mentor in Jordan Kahn, the singular chef at Destroyer who went on to open Vespertine.

It was while working with Kahn that Aronow decided to solely pursue pastry as his specialty. Kahn taught Aronow that pastry is more than creating a dish with sweet flavors – it’s a balance between extremes. While under Kahn as Executive Sous Chef at Destroyer, a plant focused fine dining restaurant, Aronow pushed limits, questioned the norm and found inspiration in art, color palettes and life experiences.

Aronow moved to San Diego in the fall of 2018 to lead Puesto’s dynamic pastry program as its executive pastry chef, signaling a significant gain to the city’s culinary talent. Fascinated by regional and ethnic cuisines, Aronow will create desserts for Puesto with a focus on traditional techniques utilizing indigenous Mexican ingredients. While he is based in San Diego, he will travel to all Puesto locations throughout California to curate each menu.