Riko Bartolome

Executive Chef – Asia Vous

 

When Gourmet magazine’s Caroline Bates reviewed Pangaea at the Hotel Nikko in Los Angeles, she described Chef Riko Bartolome as inquisitive and free thinking—a chef who never met an ingredient he didn’t like.  The saga of this San Diego native bears this out.

After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York in 1989, Bartolome began his career at the Hyatt Regency Aventine in La Jolla.  His signature Asian fusion style solidified at the Grand Hyatt Wailea in Maui and climaxed at Matrixx in the Hotel Nikko in Los Angeles. 

Anxious to return to his San Diego roots, this talented chef held stints at the Hotel Del Coronado’s Crown Room and the Torreyana Grille at the Hilton Torrey Pines.  In 1998, Bartolome moved to the very popular 150 Grand Café in Escondido.  Here, in a smaller restaurant, he was able to truly define his style.  With the opening of the new W Hotel in downtown San Diego, Bartolome was recruited as executive chef.
 
Bartolome’s heart, however, was always in Escondido.  He and Kim, his wife and business partner, had always thought this small North County city had great restaurant potential.  In Spring 2004, this couple’s dreams will come true as they open Asia-Vous on Grand Avenue in Escondido’s downtown revitalization district.  The 49 seat restaurant, completely designed by this talented couple, features the fresh local ingredients so abundant in the area and focuses on the chef’s ability to create dishes which tempt the senses and challenge the palate.

Bartolome will continue to play an active role in supporting the greater San Diego community by participating in Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation, the San Diego Wild Animal Park benefits and as a member of the San Diego Gastronomically Correct team, which promotes San Diego’s culinary scene throughout the country.  Bartolome has cooked at the James Beard House in New York City and represented San Diego at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, Colorado.