Born in Yamagata Japan, Takashi Abe, fondly called “Abe”, started to work in the culinary arena right after high school and started to train as a sushi chef. When he turned 25 he ventured over to the United States to continue expanding his career. His accolades include holding a position as a Private Chef for Japanese General Concierge in Alaska and training under Matsushia Nobu for three and a half years at Matsuhisa. Abe decided to go out on his own opened “Abe" on Newport Peninsula and 6 years later he moved to crystal cove to open the restaurant "Bluefin". Bluefin is a uniquely innovative Japanese restaurant and is mainly ... Read Full Story

Ryan Adams is the chef/owner of Three Seventy Common Kitchen+Drink, a Laguna Beach community hub known for its really good food, fun and camaraderie. Formerly the executive chef of Sorrento Grille, Adams purchased the venue in 2011 and revamped it to offer a new urban look and his inspired take on farm-to-table fare. He is a longtime supporter of sustainable cuisine and works closely with local farmers and purveyors to create his ever-changing contemporary American menu. A Laguna Niguel native, he is a graduate of California Culinary Academy in San Francisco and honed his skills at various restaurants there, including ... Read Full Story

Paul Gregory is the Executive Chef at the Westin South Coast Plaza.  Gregory’s distinguished 25-year career in the culinary arts includes serving in key posts with several of the region’s largest and most prominent hotels, where he helped to generate millions of dollars in revenue and supervised hundreds of food and beverage staff. Gregory has worked for Starwood for over 12 years, having started at The Westin Century Plaza Hotel & Towers as their Banquet Chef.  During his time with Starwood, he has worked at the Sheraton Gateway LAX and the Westin LAX where his culinary talent culminated into the ... Read Full Story

Veteran restaurateur Michael A. Jordan, MS, CWE is currently Vice President of Food & Beverage for The Ranch Restaurant and Saloon, a recently opened Anaheim California based wine destination restaurant and live country music entertainment complex. Before joining The Ranch team Jordan was President of the Beachcomber Restaurant Group, featuring restaurants themed to the California beach scene situated in spectacular locations. Prior to his work at Beachcomber Jordan served as Global Manager of Wine Sales and Standards (and Wine Educator) for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts® Worldwide. This role included responsibility for all wine sales and programs along with creating ... Read Full Story

David Rossi, born and raised in Orange County, CA knew he had a passion for baking at a young age. A self-proclaimed “picky eater” Rossi took matters into his own hands at about seven years old and began following his favorite box recipes-chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal cookies and brownies a small foretelling of his future career.  His “Pickiness” piqued his interest in food and remembers watching the early days of cooking shows with Julia Child as well as food and travel shows on Saturday mornings. Rossi became fascinated with the travel shows featuring the different vacation destinations and cuisine of ... Read Full Story