About
Chef de Cuisine of 1500 OCEAN at the iconic Hotel del Coronado, Master French Chef Patrick Ponsaty is a fifth-generation chef with 32 years of extensive training in kitchens around the world. From the age of ten he was working alongside his father, and in the following years, trained with some of France’s most legendary names: Alain Ducasse, Didier Oudill, and Michel Rochedy. The elite group of Master Chefs includes just 51 chefs across the United States, yet for Patrick, it’s about the food over the fame. With his blend of classic training and extensive network of farmers, fisherman and purveyors combined with the bounty of fresh produce available in San Diego’s year-round temperate climate, Patrick continues to push the evolution of dining today with flavors inspired by the Mediterranean and California Coastlines.With a resume of award-winning kitchen and menu direction spanning countries to coastlines, Michelin Guides to his 20-year career in San Diego, Patrick Ponsaty serves up fresh, unparalleled seaside dining at The Del at 1500 OCEAN. Leveraging his long-term partnerships with San Diego farmers and purveyors, guests and locals enjoy truly inspired coastal cuisine.
A little more about Chef:
It was with Chef Alain Ducasse at Louis XV in Monaco that Ponsaty first experienced the rigor and talent found in a three Michelin Star kitchen. Still, just a year later, he became the Chef de Cuisine of legendary Martin Berasategui’s Restaurant Berasategui (three Michelin stars) in northern Spain. During his time at Berrasategui he won the 1993 Best Young Chef in Spain award from the Spanish Culinary Council.
In 1995, he joined New York culinary restauranteur Jean Michel Diot to lead Park Bistro as the Executive Chef. The restaurant was awarded three stars from The New York Times.
Ponsaty’s next adventure would take place in San Diego, where as the Chef de Cuisine at 5 Diamond Restaurant Award landmark El Bizcocho at the Rancho Bernardo Inn, he was awarded Zagat’s 1999 Best Restaurant in San Diego. He would go on to win the award for five consecutive years. In 2003, he was featured in the James Beard Foundation dinner series “Best Hotel Chefs of America”.
In the following years, his influence across San Diego grew, and in 2012, he received the title of French Master Chef (MCF – Maîtres Cuisiniers de France). The MCF is a prestige granted only to the finest chefs of French cuisine in the world, and he is one of 83 chefs in North America with the title. He also joined the Académie Culinaire de France (ACF), an organization devoted to continuing the tradition of culinary excellence.
Today, he continues to hone his skills and build the relationships that have garnered him such extraordinary praise around the world. Ponsaty credits his relationship with the local farmers, anglers and foragers as instrumental to his cuisine and success. His deft combinations of classic technique with clever and playful flavors superbly marry the traditions of France and Spain with the bountiful charm of San Diego. He lives in San Diego with his wife and two sons. When not cooking, he enjoys watching rugby and drinking rosé in the sun.
See me at:
Ocean-to-Table Rosé Wine Lunch
