A Southern California native and award-winning chef, Watts found culinary inspiration through cooking and watching Julia Childs with his grandmother and growing vegetables in his backyard. Citing a longtime love for the ocean and surfing, Watts spent past summers traveling to Indonesia to surf and explore and fell in love with the culture and cuisine. He found a passion for healthy eating while caring for his terminally ill father and began his culinary journey by attending the Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Pasadena, Calif. Upon graduation, Watts traveled to Australia to complete an externship with the Intercontinental Hotel Group before being hired as a sous chef at Ola At Turtle Bay Resort in Oahu, Hawaii in 2007 where he furthered his passion for fresh, locally sourced ingredients and indigenous produce. In 2009, Watts returned to California to assist with the opening of an organic garden-inspired dining concept at Treebones Resort in Big Sur, Calif., which further fueled his love of the farm-to-table culinary experience. He then moved back to Southern California after accepting a cook role with Newport Beach, Calif. staple The Resort at Pelican Hill, where he was mentored by celebrated French Chef Jean Pierre Dubray and honed in on combining French cooking techniques and flavors with coastal California cuisine. Upon his departure from The Resort at Pelican Hill, Watts joined the Ritz-Carlton family and held positions including sous chef and executive chef at The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe and The Ritz-Carlton Destination Club in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands respectively before accepting the role of executive chef with The Sanctuary Beach Resort. In his current role, Watts is responsible for overseeing menu development and execution at Salt Wood Kitchen & Oysterette.