Executive Chef Jonathan Hale knew at an early age that he would one day become a chef. He had always enjoyed tasting different types and textures of food from all over the globe, which is most likely the result of Jonathan’s varying regional background. He was born in India, raised in London, and finished high school in New York. Jonathan’s first job in the restaurant industry began at the age of 17 as a waiter in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Jonathan’s ambition led him to the Culinary Institute of America in New York, where he graduated in 1991. He then began moving further westward and landed a position as Chef Tournant at the Renaissance Restaurant in Aspen, Colorado. He remained there for over 2 years and then decided to relocate to Hawaii where he could work with the freshest seafood possible. He started as a line cook at the famed Pacific Café with Jean-Marie Josselin in Maui and Kauai and was soon promoted to Executive Chef.

After 7 years in Hawaii, Chef Hale moved to San Diego in 2001 and took over the helm as Executive Chef at the first seafood restaurant in the Gaslamp Quarter- Blue Point Coastal Cuisine. Hale and his team created a first class menu, earning awards from the Gaslamp Quarter Association such as Favorite Place to Dine, Best Seafood, Favorite Wine List, Best Customer Service, and Best Downtown Restaurant from SD Home & Garden Magazine.

In early 2010, Cohn Restaurant Group was very pleased to announce that Chef Jonathan Hale was appointed as the new Executive Chef of CRG’s award winning restaurant, The Prado at Balboa Park. Chef Hale’s favorite thing about his job, besides working with his culinary team, is “being able to create a dish, market it, execute it, and do it all over again the next day. It just doesn’t get old.” Jonathan’s experience and unique style have quickly distinguished him as a leader and an innovator for the Cohn Restaurant Group.