Award-Winning Executive Chef, Now Cooking on the Central Coast

Most people don't know what it takes to earn the title of Chef — the true grit, the relentless hours, and the years of proving yourself in the heat of the kitchen. Jake Irwin started at 15 washing dishes at the San Luis Obispo Country Club and never looked back. His American expedition carried him through the historic kitchens of Prescott, Arizona, to a summer in the Alaskan wilderness, to six years at a Jack Nicklaus-designed country club, and finally to Big Sky, Montana — where he became Executive Chef at the acclaimed Rainbow Ranch Lodge and then took on the biggest challenge of his career: Everett's 8800, a high-alpine fine-dining restaurant 8,800 feet above the clouds.

Today, he brings that expedition spirit — and 25 years of experience cooking for Hall of Famers, Iron Chefs, Hollywood stars, and discerning lodge guests — to every plate he serves on the Central Coast. Whether it's an intimate multi-course dinner for 15 or a 200-guest wedding, Jake crafts menus that tell the story of where the food came from and the wild places that shaped him.