A California native, Andrew Santana became familiar with the unique magic and nuances of a family-owned restaurant at a young age. In 1942, his great-grandparents opened a modest Mexican restaurant, Mexicali, on Market Street in his hometown of San Jose and it became a fixture of his youth as his grandfather drew him in with the complex flavors and traditions of the cuisine. Their legacy eventually inspired him to seek a professional career in the industry, and in 1999 he entered the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco where he graduated at the top of his class two years later.

Staying true to his Bay Area roots, Santana joined Michael Mina as part of the opening team at Arcadia, and in a classic line cook-to-sous chef rise, helped Mina lay the foundation for the restaurant’s eventual success. In 2005, he followed Chef Wade Hageman to Solana Beach to open Blanca where he officially fell in love with Southern California. By 2007 he was in Saratoga honing his technical skills as the opening tournant in the kitchen at Chefs Peter Armellino’s Michelin-starred restaurant, Plumed Horse.

Not one to miss the food truck hype sweeping the nation, Santana soon thereafter teamed up with Kevin Wu and opened Mobowl in 2010. Then in 2012, he spent some time traveling Europe with a stint in Italy working at O’vesuvio, a friend’s pizzeria in Florence.

His return to the states found him with Joe Cirone at Haymarket in Willow Glen where he focused on inventive plates based around freshly-made pastas, responsibly-sourced produce and whole animal butchery. Then in 2015 a phone call from Jean Philippe Rollet resulted in their subsequent opening of Prime in Santa Clara. Experimentation with fermentation, charcuterie and dry-aging revealed a passion for curing and cultivating craft meat products, and the kitchen of that boutique hotel became Santana’s favorite place to create.

Eventually, Santana was lured back south to San Diego when he learned of the forthcoming opening of Campfire, helmed by his former colleague at Blanca, Chef Andrew Bachelier. As the original Chef de Cuisine, Santana was drawn to the concept by an unwavering respect for Bachelier and the team’s determination to revolutionize the food and hospitality scene, one fire-driven, charred and communal plate at a time.

In 2018 Santana accepted the position of Executive Chef of Charles + Dinorah, the in-house restaurant at Point Loma’s historic The Pearl Hotel. After a year and a half at The Pearl, Santana has returned home to Campfire, which was recently awarded Bib Gourmand status from California’s 2019 Michelin Guide. As co-executive chef alongside old friend Andrew Bachelier (who also serves as Executive Chef at sister restaurant, Jeune et Jolie), Santana aims to deepen Campfire’s reputation as a destination restaurant as well as a beloved local mainstay. His focus will be to progress the menu into areas not yet visited by Campfire, as well as continuing the restaurant’s strong vision of sustainability and relationships with local farms. Santana looks forward to serving as both a chef and leader, providing knowledge and guidance to a new flock of budding culinary leaders.