Today we’d like to introduce you to Christian Gomez
Hi Christian, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My restaurant aspirations began in my formative years. Growing up in a diverse Asian and Latino household, my father from the Philippines and my mother from Panama. My childhood memories of walking through fascinating, local, Asian markets and the colorful and exotic markets of our neighboring community of Tijuana prepped me for my intriguing fascinations of all things gastronomy. My first restaurateur who I had the pleasure of working for, Mr. Tom Fat (RIP) and his nephew Colin They enriched my visions in his dual concept restaurant, Fat City & China Camp, near the train tracks of Hawthorne and PCH. Not only was it the unique ad original concept of both restaurants under one roof, but it was that transcended my visions of all things restaurants. 5 years later, I found myself in the City of Angels (Los Angeles), when I was fortunate enough to be hired as part of the FOH for the dynamic duo of Nuevo Latino cuisine Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken’s Border Grill-Santa Monica. It was during my 10 year tenure with them that I vividly remember standing in the back of their restaurant-my section all locked down and taken care of – that I day-dreamt in their whimsical space, through the eyes of Josh Schweitzer (Designer), and the passion that they exuded in all they did. The foresight they had in what they created was before it’s time in LA. Years later, I began to chase my passions of gastronomy. I started a Catering and Private Chef business out of my 800 sq ft apartment on the boardwalk of Venice beach, and I called it El Chino Latino Catering. Shortly after that, I co-produced a cooking show, “Green Eats” for NBC-LA, promoting Natural and Organic farmers and markets in LA, bringing product back to my flat in Venice beach to cook recipes I put together. It ran on Sundays at 4pm to all of LA County, for 13 weeks.
After my 16 years in LA, I decided to head back South to my hometown and bring my experiences to life with, WetStone Winebar.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The journey of WetStone Winebar after 17 years, has been not only been a dream, but it has taught me how to persevere. Opening a year before the 2008 recession was my first exposure to adaptation and the will to survive, and then of course the 2020 Pandemic emblazoned me with a will to “bob and weave”, but better stated by my papa, I learned how to “bend like bamboo- bend but don’t break.”
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a self trained chef. An ambassador to Globally-Inspired Cuisine and an Adventurous Wine-list. I’m a Small business owner and Proprietor. I take pride in elevating San Diego’s dining scene since 2007, with food and wine that speaks to me and San Diego’s growing food and wine scene.
How do you define success?
Success to me, as a.restaurant owner, is when a guest enters and decides to not look at the menu but says to my staff, “You tell me what to eat and drink, I trust you.” To me, that is the golden ticket that we’re doing something right. It’s all about taking guests on a Gastronomic adventure and seeing returning faces.
But, more than anything…success to me is to have a passionate team that loves what they do, and to be able to provide a healthy working environment for all.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.wetstonewinebar.com
- Instagram: wetstonewinebar
- Facebook: wetstonewinebar
- Yelp: WetStone Winebar
Image Credits
Anthony Flores, Gabe Halvor and Marshall Williams
