Because we have an open kitchen, and also because we talk about ourselves a lot on this blog, many of you have in some form or another met the chef, cooks, servers, and other folks who run Sea Rocket Bistro. Kim rides her Harley to work every day, Kalen has been known to wear plaid pajama pants while cooking up your meals, and we've had some other people come and go... but Christy has been the rock of the kitchen for almost a year now, filling the roles of chef, prep cook, line cook, and kitchen manager, plus she writes a food column for SD Entertainer, and plays bass and sax in a band (Perfect Blue) in her free time- where did she get any of that?!

We thought you might enjoy reading more about Christy, her past kitchen experiences, and some other fun facts. Feel free to say hi to Christy as well as the rest of the kitchen crew next time you come in- Kim, Kalen, Jenghis and Diana.

Originally from Florida, Christy got her undergraduate degree in writing in Tallahassee at Florida State University. She visited New Orleans a few times during the course of her undergraduate study with her boyfriend, Mike. Christy was intrigued by the culture and food of the city, and she hoped to one day live there.

After FSU, Christy went on to Boston to complete her graduate degree. Mike moved to Boston to join her, and to continue his running career, hoping to train for the Olympics. Unfortunately, he injured his knee, and he knew his running career would never come to fruition. So he decided to go to culinary school. Christy helped him research schools, and by the time Mike had made his decision to go to New Orleans, Christy was already packing her bags to join him.

They attended Chef John Folse Culinary Institute in Thibodaux, Louisiana, while living in New Orleans. After their first year of school, Christy got her first kitchen job at Vega Tapas Café. Alison Vega, the chef and owner, taught Christy everything that she knew about Mediterranean techniques as applied to New Orleans ingredients, from Moroccan tagines to sautéed shrimp with lemon caper sauce.

After four years at Vega Tapas Café, working her way up to sous chef, Christy ventured out into the world outside of Vega Tapas Café. After working at a few different restaurants in the city, Christy ended up participating in the opening of the Delachaise, an uptown bar with atypical labels of beer, wine and liquor, with her friend, Colby Spath, and his three partners. As the chef, sous chef, line cook and dishwasher at the Delachaise, Christy developed fun and adventurous bar bites for the hip yet discriminating clientele, such as chorizo stuffed squid with sweet potato peanut sauce, and desserts such as white chocolate mac and cheese.

After her stint at the Delachaise, Christy yearned to be in a full service restaurant again, so she took at job with Anne Lloyd at the Mango House, a Caribbean restaurant in uptown New Orleans, where she learned to make delicious crab cakes with sweet potatoes and avocado sauce.

Christy had been sous chef at the Mango House for over a year when Katrina hit. She had stayed in town with her husband for the hurricane, even though most of their friends and coworkers evacuated and urged them to follow suit . Christy had been planning to open the Mango House back up the next day after being closed for two days, with the one waiter who had also stayed in town to ride out the storm. Anne sold the Mango House, and Christy and Mike moved to San Diego, where the storm systems are much calmer.

Christy worked for a while at the Patrician, a retirement community in La Jolla, where she learned how difficult it can be trying to please discriminating seniors. After that, she worked with Chef Pierre Lustrat at Wired Café in the University Towne Centre area, where she learned how to make a beautiful tart tatin.

After Wired Cafe, Christy decided to work in her beloved neighborhood, North Park, at Sea Rocket Bistro, with Elena and Dennis. She hopes to help accentuate the brilliance of fresh local produce, seafood, and meat with simple recipes that make the ingredients the star of the show. She looks forward to serving you when you dine at Sea Rocket Bistro.