Javier Cruz, Executive Chef / Proprieter
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Javier started his restaurant career in 1998 in Ashland, working through the service ranks to become the dining room manager of Il Giardino. While still working, he enrolled in the Le Cordon Bleu program at the Medford Culinary Institute, from which he graduated in 2007. 

Shortly after, Javier was invited in to the Standing Stone kitchen. There, he was the Sous Chef for eight years, while also acting as a Dining Room Manager for three of those years, before being promoted to Chef. 

As Chef of Standing Stone, Javier was invited to compete in the 2016 Top Chef Competition of the Ashland Culinary Festival. He had a great time during two days of competition and won third place. 

After two years as Chef of Standing Stone, Javier found the perfect location to start his own restaurant in Ashland. He looks forward to integrating both his joys of cooking and waiting on customers by being at the window discussing the menu and taking orders and filling those orders. 

Javier enjoys crafting weekly specials and expressing his creativity while exploring seasonal ingredients. He is passionate about his beliefs that cuisine be fresh, locally sourced, organic, sustainable, and prepared and presented in a way that is innovative and celebratory of its ingredients.