Food From The Heart Of La Jolla

Award-winning Chef Bernard Guillas joined La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club, Inc. as executive chef in June 1994. In addition to Club Dining, Guillas is responsible for directing the resort's other two restaurants and all catering services for the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club and the landmark Marine Room restaurant. As executive chef, Guillas oversees all menus, wine lists, and special events. Guillas, no stranger to classic tradition, insists, "a good cook is a sorcerer who dispenses happiness on a plate." Born into a family of butchers, bakers, and restaurateurs, Guillas' Britannic upbringing was influenced by his daily exposure to fine cuisine. He began his formal training in 1978, at Le Bretagne Restaurant in Questembert, France, where he apprenticed with the legendary Georges Paineau. Over the next six years he expanded his culinary knowledge at several Maitres Cuisinier de France fine dining restaurants. Jumping continents, Guillas moved on to become chef de cuisine at Le Dolmen in French Guyana. Richly diverse South American flavors influence his food today. Chef Guillas promotes sustainability and plays an active role in supporting his local community. He regularly participates in Mama's Kitchen, Share Our Strength Taste of the Nation fundraiser for hunger relief, the San Diego Bay Wine and Food Festival, and is an annual guest chef for Celebrities Cook for Cancer to benefit the University of California San Diego Cancer Center. Guillas is also the chef spokesman for the Macy's School of Cooking where he shares his passion for the culinary arts. He travels extensively throughout the world promoting his restaurants and the San Diego region.

Chef de Cuisine Marlaw Seraspi, became a chef after visiting his friends at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. It was love at first sight. "I truly love cooking. It is my comfort zone even when it is hectic. Something draws me to cooking, using my knives relieves my stress. Seeing people happy is my reward". Born in the Aklan province of the Philippines, Chef Marlaw has fond memories of the food and culture of his birthplace. His father, who was an avid cook, introduced him to the flavors and tradition of Filipino cuisine. After graduating from the Academy, Marlaw worked with Michael Mina in San Jose and San Francisco before moving to San Diego in 2006 to open Blanca in Solana Beach. While working with the Blanca group, he had the honor of cooking at the James Beard House in New York City. Moving back to the bay area was a conscious decision to sharpen his culinary skills with the Mina Group, and then returning to San Diego to create the Hageman Restaurant Group, opening 3 restaurants as the Executive Chef. Marlaw joined the culinary team as Chef de Cuisine in Club Dining at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club in October, 2018. Marlaw believes that when you are a young chef, you learn techniques from mentor chefs, but as you mature you want to cook your own food in our own way. Filipino cuisine inspires his menus as the beacon of his preparations. His approach is to create modern and innovative cuisine based on Filipino classics.