Christopher Hutchinson Named Executive Chef of Ember & Rye

Christopher Hutchinson takes over as executive chef of Ember & Rye, the Richard Blais steakhouse at Park Hyatt Aviara in Carlsbad, California. The resort confirmed the move on September 14, 2026, after a decade of Hutchinson kitchens in Portland, San Francisco and San Diego.

Christopher Hutchinson's decade out west

Hutchinson started in Portland, working at Bluehour and 23Hoyt before joining Chris Cosentino's Jackrabbit. He then trained at Quince in San Francisco, the three-Michelin-starred kitchen run by Michael Tusk. The stint sharpened his approach to pasta and technique-driven cooking.

A West Coast chef trades rooftop Nikkei plates for prime cuts and open flame.

A move to San Diego followed. Hutchinson ran the kitchen at Huntress as executive chef, then led Lumi Rooftop, a Nikkei-inspired project built with chef Akira Back. Whole-animal butchery and live-fire cooking became fixtures of his style.

Live fire and local sourcing

At Ember & Rye, Hutchinson inherits a menu built on prime cuts, seafood and coastal California ingredients. He plans to sharpen sourcing and technique while keeping the steakhouse's core identity, the resort says. It is the kind of handover other kitchens have made this month, with owners stepping back from daily cooking while a signature concept stays in place.

"Chef Christopher brings an impressive depth of experience and a genuine respect for the ingredients and craft behind great cooking," said Park Hyatt Aviara general manager Chad Eding. Eding pointed to Hutchinson's ties to San Diego's dining scene as a factor in the hire.

Hutchinson's food sensibility traces back further, to teenage years spent in Malaysia. He has said the markets and street food there shaped how he layers bold flavors on a plate.

Ember & Rye sits inside a resort that just closed a $60m renovation across 327 rooms and added the Miraval Life in Balance Spa Aviara. It is one of five dining rooms on the property, alongside the Baja-inspired Ponto Lago and the sushi counter at Pacific Point. Steakhouses are having a moment on the West Coast: Nancy Silverton opened one of her own in the rebuilt Palisades Village this month.

Blais remains the chef behind Ember & Rye's concept; Hutchinson runs the kitchen day to day. The menu overhaul will roll out through the rest of the year, resort officials say.