BBQ's in the HOUSE!
It’s the countdown: Three weeks until opening day of the county’s newest concert venue and restaurant, Ventura Music Hall, and where is Chef Jason Ruffinelli? He’s on a 14-hour road trip up to Eugene, Oregon, to further perfect his craft by taking a master class on sausage making. Spoiler alert: He made it to the grand opening on March 22!
Until now, as a catering chef, Ruffinelli has been preparing almost all his food himself, “with the help of my front of house, Daniel Sixbey, who handles customer relations and keeps things running smoothly,” he says. “Most start-up catering companies begin with a canopy, move on to a food truck, and then the big commercial kitchen. I skipped that middle one.” Although his original idea was a small-plate food truck, he was still figuring out where to park his smoker when it all fell into place.
Ruffinelli was on break at his job at a local pharmaceutical company when he got the call in July 2021 that he had been chosen from about a dozen other chefs to move into the kitchen at the new music hall located in the former Ventura Discovery. Always moving forward with big Texas-style goals, Ruffinelli is excited about taking his backyard barbecue pop-up business to a whole new frequency in what he calls “the venue.”
WHY BBQ?
“My mom was working two jobs to support my brothers and me growing up, so we spent a lot of time at my friend’s house. Their family was always cooking barbecue,” he says. Barbecue represents community for him, and bringing people together with his family-style menu is right where he wants to be.
Ruffinelli’s goal is to bring quality to a quantity-oriented establishment, one day expanding to a full-service restaurant where everything is still pit-smoked and made in-house. “Scaling up” at the music hall is putting it gently. From sole cook/chef/creator to head chef with a crew of prep cooks, dishwashers and runners is no easy leap. The chef seems unfazed by it, however, and is going at this with all he has.
“Quality comes first. Our meat is sourced from small family farms and slow-cooks for hours in the 14-foot converted propane tank wood smoker out back, which burns local sustainably sourced white oak for flavor,” says Ruffinelli.
The burger that won over the hearts and mouths of the Music Hall’s investors is made of a house-ground blend of Angus chuck, brisket and pork. Ruffinelli renders his own tallow from brisket trimmings to season the house-made flour tortillas for the pulled-pork taco (see it pictured on this issue’s cover). His pickle recipe—a modified version of his grandmother’s—includes a salt soak for the fresh cucumbers and a turmeric, clove, mustard seed spice blend with fresh Fresno chilis and sweet onion.
He is also serving up a couple indulgent favorites such as loaded tater-tots and Frito pie—both gluten-free—using scratch-made queso, smoked beans, pickled jalapeños and Fresno chilies. A choice of brisket, tri-tip, pulled pork or chicken, all smoked in house, are available to be piled on top. Vegan options include smoked cauliflower wings and the Impossible burger. On the list of specials to come later are house-made sausages and Cubano sandwiches.
After bringing his customers craft barbecue, Ruffinelli says his priority is “supporting other small businesses, [because] sourcing from the little guy is more necessary than ever.” In line with that philosophy, he has partnered with local pastry artist Jess Modzelewski of Awkward Pastry and she is bringing in not-so-awkward cakes, cookies and more.
COOKING THROUGH ADVERSITY
Like most in the food industry, the last two years have been about change for Ruff House BBQ. “The pandemic was great for my business. People wanted family-style meals they could pick up for dinner. We adapted,” Ruffinelli says, “and it was easier than traveling to a venue.”
But the real adaptation for the hardworking chef actually started in 2017 when Ruffinelli’s son Dominic, age 3 at the time, was diagnosed with a brain tumor.
“I went from working 70-plus-hour work weeks, being on call 24/7 and working onsite, to spending every hour of the day for months in the hospital with my son. The time I spent with him made me realize there’s more to life and I need to follow my dreams now,” he says. “He is good now; he gets yearly MRIs to make sure the tumor never comes back. He needed many therapies, and is still in speech therapy for the foreseeable future. He’s my hero.”
MUSIC OR NOT, THERE’S FOOD
Ventura Music Hall has featured big names like Thievery Corporation and Gary Numan in the venue architecturally designed with acoustics in mind. Restaurant seating is in the same large room as the stage and general standing area. On non-concert days, the restaurant is open for pickup orders and dining in-house with online ordering. With real wood-smoked Texas-style barbecue, live music and great beer selection, Ruff House BBQ at Ventura Music Hall is sure to be one of this summer’s hot spots.
For more information about Ruff House BBQ visit RuffHouseBbq.com.
