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Sometimes being forced to fend for yourself in the kitchen is the best way to spark a passion for food - or at least it was for Paul Niles.
"After I graduated from high school and moved out on my own I could not depend on my mom's cooking anymore," explains the southern California native, "stumbling through my experimentations with cooking, I soon discovered my love for food and creating dishes."
Chef Niles "stumbled" into his first restaurant job as a bus boy for the Fifth Quarter Steakhouse and soon began to work his way into the kitchen as a utility cook. His first glimpse into fine dining began with a move to Phoenix, Arizona where he continued his culinary development at the acclaimed 5-diamond, 5-star Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa. It was also in Phoenix where Chef Niles enrolled and graduated with a culinary degree from the Art Institute of Phoenix. His next move was to San Diego, where he ran his first kitchen as the Executive Chef at RA Sushi Bar, and also worked at Paradise Point Resort and Spa
Chef Niles first joined the team at the Cohn Restaurant Group in 2006 as the Chef de Cuisine of Blue Point Coastal Cuisine, where working with Executive Chef Jonathon Hale he "fine-tuned his skills in the preparation of seafood dishes and French cuisine." This has lead to his current position as Executive Chef at the Ocean Beach gem, Thee Bungalow.
Chef Paul Niles gets his creative inspirations from his travels throughout the world (Europe, Southeast Asia, New York, London, Hong Kong) with a focus on the local cuisines that make each region special. His passion for French cuisine and seafood are the perfect fit for Thee Bungalow. | 