Innovative Chefs Chad White and Jeff Bonilla
It’s a story of passion — and being at the right place at the right time. Chad White (above left, culinary pictures also shown) is executive chef and co-owner of Sea Rocket Bistro in the hip community of North Park, San Diego. White joined the Navy in 2002 after the tragedies of September 11, 2011. There, he found his passion for cooking and adventurous eating while docked at foreign ports and during his post in his ship’s not-so-glorious mess hall. He also discovered his inner artist, creating masterpieces from his imagination — a recognizable trait that lingers in the intoxicating pairings he uses to create dishes found nowhere else in the world. Perhaps unsurprisingly, his culinary preparations are commonly referred to as the intersection of food and art.
During a brief stop in the coast city of Coronado, near downtown San Diego, White visited the Hotel Del Coronado’s Prince of Whales — now 1500 Ocean — one of the top fine dining establishments in the county. On a whim, he filled in for an MIA cook and was subsequently asked to stay on. He left the Navy in 2005 to become a chef de partie at Prince of Whales and subsequently took a position as executive chef with Hilton Hotels at the Double Tree Golf Resort, also in San Diego.
When the opportunity to return to fine dining became available, White joined the culinary team at Roseville, an upscale Mediterranean-French brasserie that garnered numerous accolades until its unceremonious closure. He then opened his own catering company, EGO Culinary Trends, specializing in attending to the culinary needs of high-profile clients in La Jolla and elsewhere. During that time, he wowed guests at the Sundance Film Festival and at private events for arguably some of the most discriminating palates.
In early 2011, his need for a kitchen to call his own grew strong. He envisioned a place where his imagination could run rampant and his flawless execution of the freshest ingredients available from area fishermen, farmers and foragers would stun a community growing weary of the culinary norm. Coincidentally, he soon met Elena Rivellino and Dennis Stein, partners at Sea Rocket Bistro, a neighborhood gem specializing in locally-caught, sustainable seafood. The two were seeking an executive chef/partner to enrich their restaurant, and White was the perfect candidate. Most mornings, he can be found at the docks, toting fresh catch from local anglers. His culinary skills and unparalleled creativity have caught the collective eye of every food writer in town, and he has become a darling of San Diego’s culinary community.
Classically French trained Jeff Bonilla (above right, video also shown from Sundance 2011) is an award-winning Executive Pastry Chef and Chocolatier. As pastry chef on the Marriott, Inc. corporate team, Jeff traveled and developed outrageous recipes and menus, opened new hotels and constructed chocolate showpieces. In 2009 he left the corporate world to help open San Diego premier all-organic pastry shop and culinary school in La Jolla. In early 2011 Chef Jeff left his Pastry shop to Join forces with the famous and talented Chef Paul McCabe at California’s award winning resort L’Auberge Del Mar and the famous Kitchen 1540 as Executive Pastry Chef.
Jeff’s “new flavor in food art” approach incorporates an aggressive “in your face” style on traditional French pastry with a cutting edge techniques . Jeff loves to compete in culinary competitions. As a chef and member of the Slow Food movement, Jeff believes in using only the freshest local, organic and seasonal ingredients in creating his pastries. “As a chef, teacher and culinarian, I believe it is my responsibility to educate people about the Slow Food and Green movements while taking the art of pastry to the next level and beyond.”
About ChefDance
Every winter the world's most affluent individuals and list of influential media descend upon Park City, Utah for the prestigious Sundance Film Festival. In 2004, Kenny Griswold created the first inaugural ChefDance Festival to coincide with Sundance, providing the perfect marriage of find food and film. An all-star line up of guest and celebrity chefs fly into Park City for one designated evening to prepare dinner for 250 attendees. It's a culinary experience unlike any other. This year's event schedule is as follows:
Jan 20, 2024 Friday
Chef Chad White and Chef Jeff Bonilla, Sea Rocket Bistro, San Diego
Films: “Compliance” “The Pact” “Middle of Nowhere”
Jan 21, 2024 Saturday
Chef Javier Plascencia, Mision 19 and Bar 20, Tijuana, Mexico
Films: “The First Time” “Meaning of Robots”
Jan 22, 2024 Sunday
Chef Hung Huynh , Winner of Top Chef, Catch, NYC
Films: “Save the Date”
Jan 23, 2024 Monday
Chef Donatella Arpaia, Iron Chef Judge
Film: Spike Lee’s “Red Hook Summer”
Jan 24, 2024 Tuesday
Chef Elio Scanu, Zucca, Winner of Utah Chef Competition
Films: “Sleepwalk with Me”
After-Chefdance BET Party: Special performance provided by BET
[Information and images courtesy: ChefDance2012]
