The acclaimed, Michelin-trained chefs at the La Jolla resort will continue the farm-to-table legacy at AR Valentien and The Grill.
The Lodge at Torrey Pines has welcomed three distinguished chefs to the table, each of whom will bring their combined culinary chops to The Lodge kitchens to further the La Jolla resort’s acclaimed dining history.
Eric Sakai is now executive chef at The Lodge at Torrey Pines; Owen Beatty becomes the chef de cuisine of AR Valentien and Michael Moritz takes on chef de cuisine at The Grill at Torrey Pines.
Sakai comes with more than a decade of experience leading kitchens in luxury hospitality and fine dining, most recently serving as executive chef at the Hall Park Hotel in Frisco, Texas.
Sakai has also served as executive sous chef at The Ritz-Carlton Las Colinas Resort, held leadership roles at renowned resorts including Park Hyatt Aviara in Carlsbad and Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole and honed his craft in Michelin-starred restaurants in Italy and San Francisco.
Sakai’s vision for The Lodge is to continue its commitment to farm-to-table dining; AR Valentien is long-considered among the first in San Diego to pioneer the concept.
He will also work to elevate the dining experiences across the property.
“Chef Eric Sakai is an extraordinary culinary talent whose depth of experience and passion for thoughtfully-sourced, seasonally-inspired cuisine make him a remarkable addition to our team,” Matthew Adams, chief operating officer of Evans Hotels and The Lodge at Torrey Pines, said in a press release.
Beatty will take the lead in the kitchen of AR Valentien, overseeing all restaurant menus and operations, leveraging his background in Michelin-starred restaurants like Wildland and Lilo in Carlsbad.
Prior to those posts, Beatty served as executive chef at San Diego’s Juniper & Ivy and has worked at three-Michelin-starred Quince in San Francisco, Michelin-starred La Toque in Napa and Terra in St Helena.
Beatty will work closely with Sakai to further refine AR Valentien’s approach to seasonal California cuisine.
Moritz will helm The Grill at Torrey Pines, leaning on his nearly two decades of culinary experience in Southern California’s dining community, including as executive chef at Communion and Paradis Café in San Diego’s Mission Hills neighborhood, where the restaurant earned San Diego Magazine’s “Best New Restaurant-Critics’ Choice” in 2025.
Moritz also held leadership roles at Pacifica Del Mar in Del Mar, The Seabird Resort & Spa in Oceanside and the acclaimed French restaurant Mille Fleurs in Rancho Santa Fe.
Moritz will carry forward The Grill’s tradition of refined yet approachable California cuisine, incorporating open-fire cooking.
