Ryan DeNicola

chi SPACCA | Los Angeles, CA

Born and raised in Southern California, Ryan learned early on in life the importance of quality ingredients and homemade food. Helping his grandmother and father in the kitchen since the very young age of eight, cooking came very naturally to Ryan and laid the foundation for a lifelong passion. Learning the ins and outs of the restaurant world, he began his career as a dishwasher in Santa Ana and quickly moved up to line cook. After high school, Ryan attended the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY where he received his Associates Degree in Culinary Arts. After working his way through kitchens in Nantucket, New York and Las Vegas, he moved back to LA, where he ran the gamut from casual concepts to fine dining at Son of a Gun, Animal and Michael’s. His path eventually led him to the corner of Melrose and Highland, where he opened chi Spacca under the tutelage of Nancy Silverton and Chad Colby. It was at chi Spacca that Ryan discovered his true love for butchery and charcuterie. After two years at chi Spacca, Ryan worked as Chef de Cuisine at Pizzeria Mozza in Los Angeles, ultimately returning back to chi Spacca where he can now be found wielding a cleaver as Executive Chef.