Nick Green is the area executive chef at L’Auberge Del Mar, a boutique hotel in the heart of Southern California’s Del Mar community. Adelaide, the property’s signature restaurant, dishes up a locally sourced, al fresco dining experience with panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean. Learn about Nick Green…
Hometown: I grew up in Seattle — was quite the change of scenery moving down to sunny SoCal!
First job: I held my first job as a salad cook at Cafe Juanita in Kirkland, WA, a James Beard Award-winning Italian restaurant that specializes in Northern Italian cuisine from Piedmont.
Favorite ways to spend your free time in CA: I love eating my way through all the variety of cuisines and neighborhoods of San Diego. The different regions of the Baja peninsula also have amazing and unique foods.
Your biggest accomplishment and why: I was the first westerner to intern at the 3 Michelin star kaiseki restaurant, Kichisen, in Kyoto, Japan. The chef had never allowed non-Japanese staff to work at this restaurant. I spent a year trying to organize this internship and finally, the chef agreed to allow me to work with him for three months. It was an eye-opening experience. His work ethic and dedication were inspirational.
The biggest obstacle you overcame: When the pandemic hit, my team and I at Adelaide had to navigate new waters and learn how to work around challenges we had never been faced with before. I am very grateful in the sense that pursuing our way through this strange time together allowed us to cultivate stronger bonds and lasting relationships with one another.
Someone who inspires you and why: I find most of my inspiration in musicians and visual artists — particularly A$AP Rocky for his creativity, style and confidence; and illustrator James Jean for his mastery of craft and dedication to daily practice.
Advice to someone pursuing a career path in what you do: Spend intentional time building relationships with your teammates and your purveyors. These people are the foundational backbone to all that chefs do.
Favorite quote: This is less of a quote and more of a daily mantra/mentality: “There’s really no such thing as right or wrong choices, it’s about committing to the choice that you do make and making it work for you.”
Something someone would be surprised to learn about you: I studied fine art in school and worked as a full-time artist for a few years after graduating. Not until then did I pursue cooking professionally.
What makes someone fabulous: A fabulous person is someone who constantly shows compassion and empathy, listens with intention and inspires others to trust in their own abilities.