PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM 75 {food coloring} That’s where he met James Ashe, now his business partner at Roja, who was working as the sommelier. In 2017, the two followed Andrew to his newest restaurant. “When he opened Asa in Los Altos, I really thought I could do something special here,” Roberto says fondly. “And it worked. It was popular from the beginning.” But earlier this year, when Andrew mentioned the possibility of selling Asa to focus solely on his other Asa restaurant in Los Gatos, Roberto got inspired. “I told Andrew, ‘Before you sell the place, let me see what I can do.’” He and James had always talked about being in business together but weren’t sure they were ready, so they spent time looking over all the numbers before deciding to go all-in. “It was a little scary but we already knew the ins and outs of this place. In some ways, it was meant to be.” Andrew closed the Los Altos Asa permanently in June. But just a week later, with Roberto in charge of the kitchen and James running the front of the house, the duo reopened the restaurant as Roja. The new name is a combination of the first syllable of both Roberto’s and James’ first names, symbolizing their partnership. The food at Roja is focused on local ingredients using Roberto’s signature French techniques, hand-making just about everything. As a result, Roja has a varied yet concise menu that highlights the best of California’s seasonal ingredients. “I like having a smaller menu because I like things to be really fresh,” Roberto
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