MEET THE CHEFS OF OMNI LA COSTA RESORT & SPA

Chef Adam Solowitz brings over a decade of experience to the team at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa and developed a love for food at a young age. Chef Adam’s mother owned a deli for 10 years and his father owned a bakery for 25 years, allowing him a first-hand look into the culinary world that fueled his passion for cooking. Before coming to Omni La Costa, our Executive Chef gained experience at prestigious locations such as The Hyatt Regency Phoenix and Agua Caliente Casino Resort & Spa. 

In 2016, Adam joined the resort as Executive Sous Chef and transitioned into the role of Assistant Director of Food and Beverage in 2018. Chef Adam was able to gain complete knowledge of the operation as a whole while learning what makes a culinary team successful. Chef Adam brings a modern approach to cuisine along with his creative flair, flavor palate, work ethic and service-oriented leadership style to make the ideal Executive Chef. 

Chef Adam is a strong advocate of using sustainable and local ingredients and incorporates this passion into buffet and banquet menus. From the ingredients used for his dishes to the garnishes and décor used in his culinary displays, most of the products come from local vendors or are freshly picked from the gardens found around Omni La Costa. When he’s not at the resort, Adam enjoys going to Disneyland with his family and creates film reels using his drone. And while he has a passion for creating unique cuisine, his guilty pleasure is indulging in a deliciously chewy Chips Ahoy cookie.

Chef John Ruiz is originally from the Hawaiian Islands and specializes in Hawaii Regional Cuisine presented through contemporary interpretations with his classical French training. Formerly the Executive Sous Chef of the AAA Four-Diamond Modern Honolulu, a boutique lifestyle property on the iconic shores of Waikiki Beach, Chef John joins the Omni La Costa culinary team with more than 14 years of culinary and luxury hospitality experience.

Throughout his career, Chef John has prided himself in building relationships with local vendors and providers focused on food sustainability. For 8 consecutive years Chef John enjoyed playing an instrumental role in organizing the signature events hosted at The Modern as part of the annual Hawaii Food & Wine Festival, promoting farmers and their products while supporting the development of up-and-coming culinary talent; causes near and dear to his own heart.

A graduate from the collegiate culinary program on the island of Kauai, John has held various positions over his career, notably with the Kauai Marriott Resort, The Pineapple Room by Alan Wong and Edition Waikiki, the first hotel opening for the brand. However, he attributes the start of his passion for cooking to his father, a culinary master of Filipino cuisine in his own right.

Outside of the kitchen, John enjoys traveling all over the world with his wife and experiencing new cultures and flavors. Some of the most memorable dishes he’s tasted include foie gras macarons and other delectable small plates at the lively L’avant Comptouir in Paris. As well as crispy black jewfish rillettes garnished with zesty green ants while on a food safari in Bamurru Plains of Australia.

Chef Raul Vargas began his culinary journey in high school when he took classes and fell in love with cooking. His high school culinary arts teacher, who was a CIA graduate of pastry, helped fuel his passion even further by acting as a mentor and giving him as many tips and tricks as possible. 

After high school graduation Raul attended the Arizona Culinary Institute where he refined his skills and graduated in 2010. He went on to build an impressive resume working at the Renaissance Marriot in Glendale where he trained under Marcos Seville, The Arizona Biltmore and joined the Omni family as the head banquet chef at Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia. After a year and a half of working in at our sister property Raul continued on with the Omni brand and became Executive Banquet Chef at Omni La Costa.

Raul’s favorite part of being a chef is the challenge of not knowing what each day will bring. New requests and events allow him to exercise his creative skills and come up with unique and out-of-the-ordinary dishes every day. He plans on using his creativity to highlight Omni La Costa’s commitment to using sustainable and local products. He loves incorporating farm-to-table concepts whenever possible and wants to add to our banquets menu to highlight this. 

When he is not cooking up a storm in our kitchens, Chef Raul enjoys staying at home cooking paella and watching his favorite shows on Netflix like Chopped, Chef’s Table and Burnt. He also enjoys attending music festivals whenever possible.

Keith Wallace was born in Miami Florida, the second oldest in a family of seven. As a child he took on many household responsibilities, including cooking, which he learned from his grandmother. She taught him to bake signature creations like sweet potato pie, bread pudding, banana pudding and sweet coconut pound cake. As his culinary passion grew, Keith began to play with unique local flavors like mangos, key limes, guava, grapefruit, papaya and various types of oranges. He went on to train under the most notable pastry chefs in the hospitality industry, including John Martinez, Chocolate Master; Stuart Wallen, Pastry Chef ; Antonio Bachour, Master Pastry Chef; and Michael Gillian, Executive Chef. Chef Wallace became a Pastry Chef at The Four Seasons Hotel Miami, leading to opportunities at The Meat Market Restaurant Group followed by Gurney’s Montauk Sea Water and Spa, before becoming the head Pastry Chef at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa.

Chef Wallace’s vision is to bring local California flavors to creative new signature desserts. He pulls inspiration from the beautiful, picturesque landscapes found around Omni La Costa. He plans to incorporate edible flowers grown at the resort and working with Executive Chef Adam Solowitz to create desserts and amenities that feature honey from La Costa beehives.

In his spare time, Keith enjoys spending time with friends and family, and catching up on his favorite show on Netflix, “The Chef’s Table”. He is also a connoisseur of the arts, often visiting museums on a day off.