Careers
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Meet Our Team
OMG Hospitality Staff
Eric Leitstein
CEO & FOUNDER
Eric Leitstein envisioned the development of a hospitality group founded upon key principles of passion, integrity, innovation and individuality, and dedicated to building up and supporting local communities. Eric’s extensive industry background and bulldog determination helped pave the way for the establishment of OMG Hospitality Group in 2008 (named after his children, Olivia, Mason, and Gavin), and its significant expansion since. OMG now encompasses four restaurants
(Union Kitchen & Tap in Encinitas & Gaslamp, PB Ale House, and Backyard Kitchen & Tap), and is additionally affiliated with Waterbar (coming soon), Sandbar, and The Fish Shops (in Encinitas, Hermosa Beach, and Pacific Beach). Eric’s original vision has been successfully translated into locations marked by excellent customer service, dynamic menus, signature craft beverages, and a thriving corporate culture with a strong focus on giving back. Eric resides locally with his wife Teresa and three children in Encinitas, California.
(Union Kitchen & Tap in Encinitas & Gaslamp, PB Ale House, and Backyard Kitchen & Tap), and is additionally affiliated with Waterbar (coming soon), Sandbar, and The Fish Shops (in Encinitas, Hermosa Beach, and Pacific Beach). Eric’s original vision has been successfully translated into locations marked by excellent customer service, dynamic menus, signature craft beverages, and a thriving corporate culture with a strong focus on giving back. Eric resides locally with his wife Teresa and three children in Encinitas, California.
Jamie Houtman
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS,
UNION KITCHEN & TAP
GASLAMP & ENCINITAS
Originally a Canada native (eh), Jamie first established himself at Earls, a popular Canadian restaurant chain, moving from busser to server to bartender to bar manager in an astonishingly short time frame. After moving to San Diego on a whim, he found himself flourishing through a variety of roles, eventually moving into a leadership position as a multi-unit General Manager at Mammoth Mountain. After a brief (and cold) Chicago stint, Jamie returned to San Diego in late 2015 to join OMG and lead Gaslamp Union Kitchen & Tap as General Manager, and was recently promoted to his current position as Regional Manager for both Union Kitchen & Tap locations.
Catie Davenport
CORPORATE PROJECT MANAGER
As a Northern California native who fell in love with San Diego and decided to make the jump 3 years ago, Catie has been immersed in the restaurant industry since highschool. She worked her way up quickly from hostess, to busser, to server while attending college full time and training as a competitive gymnast in Northern California. She then spent the next 6 years working in Sales and Marketing, and even started her own Wedding Cake business. Her passion for delicious cuisine and creativity (along with warm beach weather) lead her to San Diego, where she discovered a unique love for food photography. Catie recently joined OMG as Special Events Manager.
Daniel England
CORPORATE CHEF
Daniel got his first kitchen job at the young age of 13. At 18 he began his culinary studies at Le Cordon Bleu and completed his internship at the recently remodeled Pittsburgh Convention Center. At age 20, Daniel chose to go back to school and pursue studies in Hotel, Restaurant & Institution Management at Mercyhurst College. He then spent the next 4 years working in various restaurants in Pennsylvania, New York and Northern Virginia until he landed his first Executive Chef job at the age of 24 of Blue Water Bistro is Southwest Florida. After to moving to San Diego in 2014, Daniel quickly attracted the attention of Eric Leitstein, CEO and Founder of OMG Hospitality Group. He was offered the position of Corporate Chef for the group, overseeing kitchen operations for all OMG locations. Daniel’s passionate commitment to excellence carries through in his fine eye for detail, rapid ability to organize and mobilize kitchen staff, thorough assessment of the quality of materials used, and keen proficiency as a leader and visionary.
Waterbar
Brent Noll
GENERAL MANAGER,
WATERBAR SAN DIEGO
As a native of Salinas, California, Brent Noll never dreamed he could make a career out of food and drink. Thrown into “the industry” as a sophomore in high school, Brent started working in the “dish pit” at his mother’s small, neighborhood restaurant. After attending San Diego State University Brent returned to the Bay Area where he worked the fine dining scene and focused on learning the intricacies of food, beverage, and hospitality. It was here he discovered his passion for wine, which ultimately led him to earn his certification as a professional Sommelier. Brent then returned to San Diego and jumped into the management game at several well known San Diego restaurants, where he proceeded to develop and maintain an {“award-winning wine list” (according to Wine Spectator magazine). Brent brings his breadth of passion and knowledge to the all-new Waterbar in San Diego as its General Manager.
Megan Lix
ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER,
WATERBAR SAN DIEGO
Megan Lix’ passionate career has spanned over the last 18 years, 12 of which have been managing teams to deliver an amazing experience. She began in restaurants and instantly fell in love with the people, the food, and beverage and the idea of how it can bring anyone together. Understanding restaurants came naturally to her and she began to master all positions in her thirst to know more of the industry. Megan’s initial start in Denver in locally owned restaurants gave her her start but as she made her way to San Diego, she was fully captivated by the San Diego close knit industry and she continued to hone in on her craft. After working in a number of local San Diego restaurants, she found a home with OMG Hospitality Group, a place in which has helped push her already stable belief in service to a whole new level. Alongside Brent Noll, Megan Lix has the pleasure of working with an amazing team at Waterbar.
Daniel England
EXECUTIVE CHEF,
WATERBAR SAN DIEGO
Daniel got his first kitchen job at the young age of 13. At 18 he began his culinary studies at Le Cordon Bleu and completed his internship at the recently remodeled Pittsburgh Convention Center. At age 20, Daniel chose to go back to school and pursue studies in Hotel, Restaurant & Institution Management at Mercyhurst College. He then spent the next 4 years working in various restaurants in Pennsylvania, New York and Northern Virginia until he landed his first Executive Chef job at the age of 24 of Blue Water Bistro is Southwest Florida. After to moving to San Diego in 2014, Daniel quickly attracted the attention of Eric Leitstein, CEO and Founder of OMG Hospitality Group. He was offered the position of Corporate Chef for the group, overseeing kitchen operations for all OMG locations. Daniel’s passionate commitment to excellence carries through in his fine eye for detail, rapid ability to organize and mobilize kitchen staff, thorough assessment of the quality of materials used, and keen proficiency as a leader and visionary.
Union Encinitas
Jamie Houtman
GENERAL MANAGER
UNION KITCHEN & TAP ENCINITAS
Originally a Canada native (eh), Jamie first established himself at Earls, a popular Canadian restaurant chain, moving from busser to server to bartender to bar manager in an astonishingly short time frame. After moving to San Diego on a whim, he found himself flourishing through a variety of roles, eventually moving into a leadership position as a multi-unit General Manager at Mammoth Mountain. After a brief (and cold) Chicago stint, Jamie returned to San Diego in late 2015 to join OMG and lead Gaslamp Union Kitchen & Tap as General Manager, and was recently promoted to his current position as Regional Manager for both Union Kitchen & Tap locations.
Daniel England
EXECUTIVE CHEF
UNION KITCHEN & TAP ENCINITAS
Daniel got his first kitchen job at the young age of 13. At 18 he began his culinary studies at Le Cordon Bleu and completed his internship at the recently remodeled Pittsburgh Convention Center. At age 20, Daniel chose to go back to school and pursue studies in Hotel, Restaurant & Institution Management at Mercyhurst College. He then spent the next 4 years working in various restaurants in Pennsylvania, New York and Northern Virginia until he landed his first Executive Chef job at the age of 24 of Blue Water Bistro is Southwest Florida. After to moving to San Diego in 2014, Daniel quickly attracted the attention of Eric Leitstein, CEO and Founder of OMG Hospitality Group. He was offered the position of Corporate Chef for the group, overseeing kitchen operations for all OMG locations. Daniel’s passionate commitment to excellence carries through in his fine eye for detail, rapid ability to organize and mobilize kitchen staff, thorough assessment of the quality of materials used, and keen proficiency as a leader and visionary.
Union Gaslamp
Tina Heschke
GENERAL MANAGER
UNION KITCHEN & TAP GASLAMP
Born and raised in Southern California, Tina attended the University of California, Irvine and obtained a Bachelors of Arts in Dance. Throughout college Tina worked in restaurants, starting as a hostess and moving up the ranks into management. After graduation she decided the restaurant industry was where she wanted to stay. Tina is passionate about the business, particularly mentoring the staff and connecting with our patrons. She loves the variety each day in the industry brings and conquering every obstacle she encounters. She joined Union Kitchen and Tap, Encinitas in 2017 as the Assistant General Manager. Her favorite part about OMG is the value they place on not only the product and guest experience, but how much they appreciate their employees. Cultivating relationships in and out of the restaurants is one of the many reasons we are proud to have Tina on our team.
Christopher Gerwig
EXECUTIVE CHEF
UNION KITCHEN & TAP GASLAMP
bio coming soon
PB Alehouse
Corri Wilson
GENERAL MANAGER,
PACIFIC BEACH ALEHOUSE
Born and raised in sunny San Diego, Corri has created a career out of her love for the Restaurant and Hospitality Industry. Her passion for the restaurant industry first sparked while working at Mimi’s Café as a hostess. Fast forward 18 years and multiple locations and Corri has gained a vast knowledge of this industry and fully ignited that spark into a passion for what she does. In turn she passes that knowledge and connection onto her staff. Corri loves working with people and watching them grow through the training process, understanding the value behind the knowledge, and creating a great team environment. Corri became apart of the OMG Hospitality family 5 years ago because of her respect for the owner, Eric Leitstein’s, dedication for the restaurant industry. She enjoys the everyday challenges and being able to use her problem solving skills to run PB Alehouse as if it were her own. We look forward to watching her continue to grow within the OMG Hospitality Group.
Eric Sarkisian
EXECUTIVE CHEF,
PB ALE HOUSE
Chef Eric was born in Reno Nevada, grew up on a rural farm in Clovis California and finally moved to San Diego in 1989 where he currently resides. He started his culinary career in 1994 at the Clarion Bay View hotel where he took an informal apprenticeship with Chef Peter Erni, a classically trained Swiss chef. It was there that he found his passion and learned the fundamentals of being a chef. He then moved on to grow with TS Restaurant Group where he started as a line cook, and in only 3 short years moved on to be the sous chef and finally executive chef. After that, he led the Coronado Brewing Company kitchen as Executive Chef and moved on to open his own coffee shop and deli in downtown San Diego. After selling, he went on to become the 4th executive chef in 40 years at Tom Hams Lighthouse. After a five year stint there he moved on to head the PB Ale House kitchen. The rest is current history.
Dan Enjem
HEAD BREWER,
PB ALE HOUSE
Meet our new Head Brewer Dan Enjem. Dan is a San Diego native, born and raised.His passion for brewing well made beers began in 2005 with his first home brews. That passion and curiosity quickly grew and by 2013 Dan started pro brewing. Getting his start at Thorn Brewing and then brewing at Ballast Point Scripps Ranch, Dan was able to take his beer knowledge to new heights. He belonged to a team that won 15 medals at World Beer Cup, Great American Beer Festival, and Euro Beer Star from 2015 through 2018. Outside of the brewery he loves to enjoy the great outdoors by hiking, climbing, fishing, surfing and backpacking. He also has a passion for cooking and gardening at his home in La Mesa. Dan’s brewing philosophy is to brew well made beer that exemplify the style being brewed, while having the experience to brew outside the box.
Backyard PB
Ryan O’Leary
GENERAL MANAGER
BACKYARD KITCHEN & TAP
Ryan O’Leary’s track record of creating and building on successful concepts has helped to establish him in the hospitality industry as a quiet force to be reckoned with. Known for his unique ability to boost company morale while simultaneously setting high expectations, Ryan has continuously driven top-performing teams toward concrete results. He brings a long history of proven success in concept development and execution to his new role as Backyard Kitchen & Tap’s General Manager.
Eric Sarkisian
EXECUTIVE CHEF,
BACKYARD KITCHEN & TAP
Chef Eric was born in Reno Nevada, grew up on a rural farm in Clovis California and finally moved to San Diego in 1989 where he currently resides. He started his culinary career in 1994 at the Clarion Bay View hotel where he took an informal apprenticeship with Chef Peter Erni, a classically trained Swiss chef. It was there that he found his passion and learned the fundamentals of being a chef. He then moved on to grow with TS Restaurant Group where he started as a line cook, and in only 3 short years moved on to be the sous chef and finally executive chef. After that, he led the Coronado Brewing Company kitchen as Executive Chef and moved on to open his own coffee shop and deli in downtown San Diego. After selling, he went on to become the 4th executive chef in 40 years at Tom Hams Lighthouse. After a five year stint there he moved on to head the PB Ale House kitchen. The rest is current history.
Learn more about each OMG location by clicking the logos below.
