Meet Rancho Bernardo Inn’s new executive chef, Jonathan Kinsella

The Rancho Bernardo Inn’s new executive chef, Jonathan Kinsella, is ready for the opportunity to take the lead in transforming the menus at the resort’s restaurants.

“I am excited to be here as it is a beautiful, iconic property,” said Kinsella, who has worked at restaurants throughout the world over the past couple decades.

Kinsella joined the resort in late May. He was introduced to the community on Aug. 14 when about 100 resort guests and local residents attended an outdoor “summer culinary celebration” in the garden adjacent to its Aragon Ballroom.

His past experiences include The Maisonette in Cincinnati, where Kinsella was the executive sous chef; TRU in Chicago; the Daniel Boulud’s family of restaurants, such as Restaurant Daniel in New York City and as executive chef of db Bistro & Oyster Bar at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore; Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles and most recently as executive chef at Juniper & Ivy in San Diego.

“Chef Jonathan Kinsella’s arrival at Rancho Bernardo Inn marks an exciting chapter for our dining outlets and culinary experiences,” said Jamie Lemon, area general manager. “From his roots in classic French technique to his global experience and thoughtful approach to seasonal ingredients, he brings a perspective that feels both worldly and deeply personal.”

Joining Kinsella in creating the five-course offering for the culinary event was longtime friend and guest chef Travis Swikard of Callie, a Mediterranean restaurant in San Diego’s East Village.

It was during a visit with Swikard in San Diego in September 2023 that Kinsella said he fell in love with the city and started looking for an opportunity so he and his wife could move here.

“I’ve always worked in iconic properties throughout my career — Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, The Maisonette in Cincinnati, the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles … Restaurant Daniel in New York City,” Kinsella told celebration attendees. “I find myself looking for the best places to work and I am really honored to be here right now.”

Kinsella noted that having Swikard back at the RB Inn as a guest chef was especially meaningful for his friend. Swikard began his career there as a line cook at El Bizcocho, Avant’s predecessor.

“The Rancho Bernardo Inn has been part of my life since I was 18 years old when I started working here,” Swikard said. “To have this memory and to create these memories with you tonight is really special.”

Kinsella said he and Swikard both worked for Daniel Boulud, opened businesses together and have 20 years of friendship and experience together.

“When … (asked) who I would like to share this moment with, I couldn’t think of anybody more appropriate than (Swikard), one of the best chefs in the city of San Diego, one of the best chefs in the region of Southern California and quite frankly one of my favorite chefs in California,” Kinsella said.

The chefs and their teams did much of the cooking outdoors in the garden, so attendees could observe their work from a distance. Kinsella said some of the ingredients came from the Chef’s Garden on the Rancho Bernardo Inn’s grounds.

“That’s the definition of luxury,” he said, adding it took a few weeks to grow some of the produce, such as the arugula they used.

“I am very excited for the future here at the Rancho Bernardo Inn if this is a taste of what is to come in the future,” Swikard told attendees about the lamb dish that Kinsella prepared.

Kinsella praised the RB Inn’s logistics team for building the outdoor kitchen and the staff who made the Mediterranean-inspired approach to offering a wood-fired cooked dinner possible.

“There was a time crunch, but it had to be well-paced,” Kinsella said, noting each course could not come out too slow or too fast in order for the guests to enjoy the experience.

Kinsella, a Cincinnati native, said his career interest was sparked in childhood and inspired by his father, John Kinsella, a certified master chef who was classically trained.

“He is my main inspiration,” Kinsella said. “My parents were Irish immigrants. My dad was a certified master chef, ranked number 16 in North America.”

The Kinsella family immigrated from Ireland to the U.S. in the early 1970s, before Jonathan Kinsella, 46, was born.

With a goal of cultivating American talent and improving U.S. cuisine, Kinsella said his father founded the Midwest Culinary Institute, part of Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, and “was never home.”

But at age 10 he started tagging along with his father and was put to work in the institute’s kitchen, first washing dishes and later doing food prep tasks such as cleaning lettuce and peeling potatoes.

“I really enjoyed it and earned money to go out with my friends,” Kinsella said.

Because his mother and grandmother were in charge of cooking at home, the family’s meals were reminiscent of “the old country” and often featured dishes such as liver and onions or shepherd’s pie, he said.

After graduating from high school, Kinsella attended the same technical college that had his father’s culinary program. His initial plan was to earn a degree in applied sciences so he could work in the nutritional side of nursing. But cooking kept calling to him, so he took time off to focus on the culinary arts and went to work in Seattle.

It was at Campagne that he was introduced to French cuisine, he said, noting the restaurant’s menu changed weekly.

He returned to Cincinnati to work at The Maisonette and resume his studies at the institute so he could earn an associate’s degree in culinary arts, which he did in 2005. After graduation, he worked at various restaurants in Chicago before moving to New York where his 12 years of work with Boulud’s group of restaurants began.

All his experiences have led to this opportunity at the RB Inn, Kinsella said of his plans to work with its team, bring on new staff and update the menu.

He will be working with Benjamin Lara, Avant’s chef de cuisine, on its coastal California cuisine that includes an oyster bar.

“He’s a fantastic chef,” Kinsella said of Lara.

The menu will also be revamped at Veranda, which he said offers “wonderful lunches.” The offerings at Café Granada will be updated by relaunching its savory and dessert collections.

“It is exciting,” Kinsella said. “I am looking forward to the next couple months.”

All chefs embrace the culture of hospitality, he said, adding that the Rancho Bernardo Inn has a reputation for being among the best in Southern California.

San Diego’s culinary scene is a “guiding force” and among “the leaders in luxury dining that is well-executed” even during casual dining experiences, Kinsella said.

As the Inn’s executive chef, Kinsella said he will be “very hands-on, not an office chef” so those dining there can expect to experience food he has cooked himself.

Frequent RB Inn diners who attended Kinsella’s Aug. 14 debut said they were pleased with the dishes and look forward to what Kinsella and his team offer in the future.

“It was excellent, the food exceptional and the ambiance exceptional,” said Del Sur resident Rita Chaffee, who attended with her husband, Patrick. “The first course I thought was great and the sauces were to die for.”

“These are very renowned chefs and it was very good,” added Patrick Chaffee, noting they have “been to a lot of dinners” at the RB Inn.

North Tustin residents Cissy and Denis La Roche, who for the past decade have stayed at the RB Inn four or five times a year, also expressed satisfaction with Kinsella’s debut event.

“The food was fabulous and the wine pairing absolutely delicious … it brought out the flavors. … It was a very European experience,” Cissy La Roche said.