Celebrity Sighting: Chef Jonathon Sawyer Is Coming to SDFW. Here's Everything You Need to Know.

Celebrity sighting alert: Chef Jonathon Sawyer is coming to San Diego.

The James Beard Award-winning chef, restaurateur and TV regular will host the Smoke + Fire Zone, presented by NASCAR, at this year's Grand Tasting Presented by Southwest Airlines®. If you love the smell of a wood fire and the sound of something sizzling over open flames, this is where you'll want to be on Saturday, November 7.

Here's everything you need to know about the chef, the zone and how to plan your day.

Who is Jonathon Sawyer?

Sawyer was born in Chicago and grew up outside Cleveland, and he's been cooking for most of his life. He landed his first restaurant job at 13, washing dishes at a local spot where his older brother worked. Within six months, he was on the line.

He briefly studied industrial engineering at the University of Dayton, but a trial job at an engineering firm convinced him he belonged in a kitchen. He switched to culinary school in Pittsburgh and never looked back.

From Miami and New York to Cleveland

Sawyer started his career at The Biltmore Hotel in Miami, then moved to New York to cook with Charlie Palmer at Kitchen 22. He went on to work closely with his friend Michael Symon, eventually becoming executive chef of Symon's New York restaurant Parea, which earned two stars from The New York Times.

In 2007, he headed home to Cleveland, where he helped open Bar Cento, a Roman-inspired enoteca. A year later, he opened his own flagship, The Greenhouse Tavern, a French-inspired gastropub built around local ingredients. It became the first certified green restaurant in Ohio, and Bon Appétit named it one of the best new restaurants in the country. More Cleveland favorites followed, including the ramen shop Noodlecat and the northern Italian restaurant Trentina.

A trophy shelf to match

Food & Wine named Sawyer one of its Best New Chefs in 2010. He was a James Beard Award finalist for Best Chef: Great Lakes in 2013, then took home the award in 2015. For chefs, a James Beard Award is about as close as it gets to an Oscar.

Why he's the right chef for live fire

Sawyer's latest chapter has taken him back to his hometown of Chicago. In 2020, he opened Adorn Bar & Restaurant, which earned a spot in the Michelin Guide. In 2023, he opened Kindling, a live-fire restaurant in the Willis Tower that was hailed as one of the best new restaurants of the year.

In other words, cooking over open flames isn't a gimmick for Sawyer. It's his craft, which makes him the perfect host for the Grand Tasting's Smoke + Fire Zone.

You've probably seen him on TV

Sawyer has appeared on Iron Chef America, Chopped, Iron Chef Gauntlet and Dinner Impossible, and he joined the CNBC series Cleveland Hustles as an investor. He's also a cookbook author, with titles including House of Vinegar and the kid-friendly Noodlekids Cookbook.

Where to find him at SDFW

What: Smoke + Fire Zone, presented by NASCAR, at the Grand Tasting Presented by Southwest Airlines® When: Saturday, November 7 · 11am–3pm Where: Embarcadero Marina Park North, San Diego

What to expect in the Smoke + Fire Zone

The Smoke + Fire Zone is one of the Grand Tasting's new culinary districts, and it's built for anyone who loves bold, fire-kissed flavor. Sawyer hosts a lineup of celebrity chefs cooking over live fire.

Just follow the smoke. You'll smell it before you see it.

How to make the most of your Grand Tasting

Get there early. Early Entry gives you a head start on the bay's best bites and sips, before the lines build at the most popular stops.

Get in faster. Southwest Rapid Rewards® Credit Cards from Chase cardmembers get priority entry with every ticket type.

Explore every district. After the Smoke + Fire Zone, hit Street Feast: Asian Market with celebrity chef Chris Oh, save room for Sweet Street with Chef Kareem "Mr. Bake" Queeman, and cast your vote for Chef of the Fest.

Go VIP. The Southwest Airlines® VIP Lounge adds an extra hour of tasting, sommelier-led pours in the Southwest Speakeasy, VIP-only live-fire cooking, and the only seats at the festival.

Plan your ride. Arrive refined and depart relaxed with Blacklane's private chauffeur service (sold separately).

The Grand Tasting is San Diego's biggest foodie party of the year, and with Jonathon Sawyer at the grill, it's heating up.