Careers

After moving to San Diego in his teen years, Chris Cox attended highschool and college (UCSD) locally, all the while serving in various hospitality roles and working his way up to bartending. Continually fascinated by the stimulation of working with various people in the industry, Chris stepped into his first management position in 2004… and the rest is history. After working for many years at a number of well-known San Diego restaurants and bars, Chris joined OMG as the General Manager for PB Ale House, then moved up to overseeing the Union Kitchen & Tap – Encinitas location and supervising the opening of its sister store in Gaslamp as well as the (fairly new) Backyard Kitchen & Tap in Pacific Beach. Chris now serves as the Director of Operations for the entire company, and is well-known for his passionate commitment to the personal development and coaching of every staff member.

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 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.

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.

Steven Lona’s years of networking and experience have formed a special platform on which to honor the time invested in him by mentors, and upon which to continue to invest in the future of the next generation of chefs. For Steven, “food is love.” It is “one of the most timeless ways to preserve and create memory and culture”, a philosophy that he looks forward to bringing to his new role as the Executive Chef of Waterbar. In this role Steven plans to incorporate his passion for whole farm cooking and responsible sourcing, and to utilize his dedication to supporting local farmers and fishermen to create an innovative and welcoming menu inspired by the fish markets, the farms, and the seasons.

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.

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.