Wayland’s Douglas Martinez, 31, came to Boston from El Salvador in 2012, looking for better career opportunities. He found work as a cook at Jose’s, the longtime Mexican restaurant near Cambridge’s Alewife T stop. Twelve years later, he’s chef de cuisine under Jason Santos, who runs Buttermilk & Bourbon, Citrus & Salt, Nash Bar, and the brand-new ButterBird at Watertown’s Arsenal Yards.
What was your first restaurant job?
I’m originally from El Salvador. When I got to this country, I started working in a Mexican restaurant, Jose’s, by Alewife in Cambridge, in 2012. I had no experience, but I wanted to take the job. I started learning. After a month and a half, I knew the lines, I knew the stations. Now I’ve been working for Jason Santos for 10½ years.
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What brought you to Boston?
There were better opportunities here to make more money. Everybody comes here looking for the American dream, and my aunts and uncles live here.
Why cooking? Why not something else?
Once I started working with food, I really liked it. I got interested in cooking from different cultures and different flavors: playing around, pulling everything apart. Back then, I worked three jobs: I was also working at a restaurant in Davis Square called Joshua Tree, a sports bar. A guy there used to work with Jason at Blue Inc. And now I’m the chef for him.
How does it feel to start out as a cook and make your way up to running a kitchen?
I just climbed my way up. I went from the fryer to the salad station, and [Jason] saw the potential. He said, “You know what? I see that you can do this. I think you’re going to be really good at it.”
So I started supervising, and opportunities opened up as a sous chef. I just kept learning and learning, more and more. I also learned Jason’s way: You know, he’s not fancy. He has fun with food.
Tell me about ButterBird.
We have delicious fried chicken. I’m a fried chicken guy, and this is the best fried chicken I’ve ever had in my whole life. The way we prepare it, we brine and marinate it — I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s so flavorful. You want more.
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What’s your opinion about the food scene in our area overall? What do you like about it, and what do you wish were better?
Food, for me, it’s like an art. No matter what, no matter what food I have, it’s interesting. I like to be able to try different types of food; I don’t know if I would change anything. One thing I would say is the best mozzarella I’ve tried is in Florence, Italy, when I went last year. I wish there were more Italian food in Massachusetts. I was eating mozzarella by the pound.
Did you like food as a little kid, or did that start when you began working as a chef?
I’ve always liked food. I loved pupusas.
Where do you get pupusas now?
My son also loves them; we usually get them from Los Pinos in Framingham.
Where do you go with your family when you’re not working?
We go to The Villa in Wayland. I get the broccoli chicken Alfredo.
Is there a food you’d never want to eat again?
No, because in this industry, I can play with anything, in a way, and come up with something I like.
What’s your favorite snack?
Doritos! Cool Ranch Doritos.
What’s the secret to being a good chef?
I put in the hard work to provide a good life for my family. Don’t let the exhaustion take you down. Keep going.
If you could open your own restaurant, what would it be?
A fried chicken place.
Interview has been edited and condensed.
Kara Baskin can be reached at kara.baskin@globe.com. Follow her @kcbaskin.