Table Talk: Chef Ryan Ratino

RYAN RATINO’S ÔMO BY JÔNT WAS NAMED AS A 2025 FINALIST FOR THE JAMES BEARD AWARD FOR BEST NEW RESTAURANT. Here, the executive chef and owner shares his thoughts on the art of cooking.

Ryan Ratino started cooking to help his mom in the kitchen. Now, he has a James Beard nom under his belt.

What were your first thoughts when you heard of the James Beard nomination for ÔMO?

It’s a huge accomplishment for us. Our main priorities are building experiences for and making our guests happy, but when you’re trying to perform at a certain level, these accolades help build morale and validate all the effort the team has put in. 

How did you first become interested in cooking?

I grew up in a working-class family in rural Ohio. My father is 16 years older than my mother; he’s pretty traditional and wants to sit down and have dinner at a certain time every day. My mom would hustle home to cook dinner, and I started to cook to alleviate that pressure. I started making things I saw on the Food Network and put ingredients on the shopping list, and she would buy them.

Once I got older, and didn’t know what I wanted to do with the rest of my life, she said “maybe you could do this for a career.” I started looking at culinary school, and that’s how I ended up in Orlando, when Le Cordon Bleu was here. That’s also how I got acquainted with Winter Park.

Did you have a favorite Food Network show?

Emeril was my guy; he was always my go-to. Now we’re friends, which is surreal.

What’s the first dish you made that you were proud of?

Learning to make pasta when I was a teenager was probably a great accomplishment for me, because I was always a noodle kid—it didn’t matter what it was, I could eat egg noodles and butter with any meal. Professionally, the duck olive press we feature at Bresca (Ratino’s Parisian bistro in Washington, D.C.) and at various times in the other restaurants. It’s eight years in, and people still want to eat it.

What, to you, makes a great dish?

First, it has to be delicious. Food can be beautiful, look like art, but if it doesn’t taste good, I’m not interested. It has to satiate the soul. You have to feel it in your heart. From there, you can figure out how to make it look prettier or how to garnish it. But if it’s soulless, it doesn’t taste good.

What is your approach at ÔMO?

You just continue to refine the processes every day. It’s finding good produce, good eggs, good fish, things that can continue to push the menu forward. We’re firm believers in the quality of the produce. Our products have to be amazing in order for us to cook well, because we’re very minimalist on the plate and there’s nothing to hide behind. So, if the tomatoes aren’t beautiful, they can’t be on the menu.

How do you incorporate sustainability into your menu?

We’re continuing to build relationships with local suppliers. In Florida, we’re surrounded by water, so we’ve been able to introduce a decent amount of seafood similar to what comes from Japan. Kamasu is a good example—it comes right off the coast of Cape Canaveral. We’re able to utilize a lot of species of fish from local fisherman. Also, I’d say 65-70 percent of our produce comes from the state of Florida.

What’s one thing you can’t be without in the kitchen?

My rice cookers.

Do you cook at home?

I love to put on dinners at my house. Cooking for people is my love language. It’s my way of expressing my happiness and showcasing care for individuals.

Small Bites

Coffee or tea: Coffee

Cake or pie: Cake

Appetizer or dessert: Dessert

Beer, wine or cocktails: Wine

Noodles or pasta: Noodles

Food truck or food hall: Food truck

An energetic or relaxed dining vibe: Energetic

Steak or seafood: Steak

Guilty indulgence: Sweets

ÔMO by JÔNT

115 E. Lyman Ave. Winter Park, FL

321-972-5225 omobyjont.com |  @omobyjont