Meet Jeff Josenhans | Luxury Food and Beverage Director, Freediver

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jeff Josenhans and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jeff, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I grew up in a working class environment in Riverside, CA. My mother worked with childcare out of our home and my father commuted to Orange County for work before eventually picking up a job at Walter’s Mercedes Benz in Riverside. They got married young, had me young, and as a result pushed my sister and I to excel in school, probably driven by the challenges they worked through as young parents. They never splurged, always preached hard work and savings. To this day, they remain like this.

I ended up much different than my parents. My sister and I spent weeks at a time with our grandparents, as both of my parents were young and working full time. My grandfather, in particular, served for me as an additional parental figure. He was a WWII vet with a purple heart, who grew up in the Great Depression and later on went on to work in a slaughter house before joining the police force. Needless to say, he was hardened man who frowned heavily upon complaining, crying, or any sort of entitlement or expectation a child might have. He spoke to me as an adult more so than my parents did, and sought to pass down life lessons. He was also exposed to the world more than my parents were due to the war, and I was fascinated by many of his stories. He was a man of the sea, and he passed that down to me.

When I graduated from high school, I was ready to leave Riverside and started travelling. I visited a friend who was an exchange student in Stockholm, Sweden, who let me know about a government grant program that was available at the time to a few international students. My good grades paid off, and I had all tuition paid for at the University of Stockholm. I was assigned a mentor, and was immediately introduced to European food culture such as wine, coffee, pastries, etc. I loved it all. At the same time I needed to pick up a job to make spending money, and had no work permit. I picked up a dishwashing job that paid cash in Stockholm, which was my first hospitality job. I rose the ranks and acquired a work permit after a couple years, still.

Europeans have the expectation of international travel and good food, regardless of family income. I spent my extra cash on affordable travels, and became acquainted with oceans all over the world when escaping Swedish winters. By the time I graduated at the university as a finance major, I was managing at one of Sweden’s most prestigious bars – the Cadier Bar at Grand Hotel, located across from the royal palace – as one of only a couple American employees in the history of that hotel. I completed my finance internship and stayed in the hospitality industry, and travelled to over 40 countries in less than 10 years while doing it.

I persevered in Sweden from the bottom of the ladder and out-worked most around me. The work ethic I grew up with and observed as a child was very uncommon in Sweden, and I had no expectations to rest upon. Working at one of the most luxurious bars in Stockholm exposed me to the life of the ultra-wealthy, but I didn’t see it from their perspective. I wanted to keep eating the same food, drinking the same wine as those that I served at that hotel, and knew becoming an expert at those products and service was my opportunity. I worked closely and absorbed as much as I could from Michelin starred chefs and restaurateurs in Stockholm, and studied cocktails and wine up until I moved back to California. Once I moved back, I become one of the first in the United States to become a certified Sommelier, certified Cicerone, and recognized industry professional within the quickly growing world of cocktails.

But I didn’t just study food and beverage in Europe. My travels exposed me to diving, and I was welcomed by the Swedish national freediving team to travel and compete with them. Diving and my love for the sea became my ballast to work life, and remains so even here in San Diego. The influence of my parent’s work ethic and my grandfather’s seeming lack of fear for anything allowed me to take personal risks, break language barriers, and excel in two things I learned to love – diving and the beverage industry.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

I work as the Food and Beverage Director at the Intercontinental San Diego, which is a waterfront luxury hotel overlooking San Diego Bay. We have expanded the food and beverage footprint at the hotel from one outlet to four, despite a pandemic. Garibaldi, our signature Southern Italian venue, was in part inspired by my personal freediving adventures. It’s speakeasy vibe is certainly an ode to my expertise in the beverage industry. In a nutshell, my role is to play offense on behalf of the hotel in terms of our food and beverage offerings. I aim to have the Intercontinental San Diego’s food and beverage outlets to act as a magnet not only to local diners but travelers and corporate customers as well.

I believe having an international perspective, in combination with work ethic based on that I only can expect what I earn, sets me apart from many in the industry. I believe this experience has given me an advantage since moving back home to CA. I’ve learned that seeking personal development as a constant, whether you are achieving your current goal or not, is critical to being able to see windows of opportunity. I moved to Sweden to work in finance, but during my studies was presented with unique opportunities within the hospitality business during my studies. I never looked back.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Obviously one must start their stay in San Diego overlooking the bay at Intercontinental and a dinner watching the sunset at Garibaldi (inside tip – request rail seating for best view). For me, San Diego is about the coast so that’s where I tend to send visitors. I would recommend a day trip up to North County to start, walk Oceanside pier and visit Oceanside harbor to check out the seals and surfers. Lunch at Wrench and Rodent for a true local seafood experience, then drive down the coast to Carlsbad, maybe walk the lagoon and end with dinner at Pizza Port for casual or Campfire for upscale.

From there work down the coast to Del Mar and La Jolla. Get up and enjoy Del Mar Village for breakfast, maybe head to UTC La Jolla for shopping, hike Torrey Pines for beautiful sunset.

La Jolla Cove is not to be missed either. If you are diver, this is where you want to be. But snorkeling in La Jolla or even kayaking is a way to experience the ocean here in San Diego like you can’t experience in other cities in California. The entire cove is a Marine Protected Area (MPA), which means sea life is abundant from lobsters to safe-to-swim-with sharks to seal to dolphins and whales. I recommend an entire day here, but end with dinner up off Prospect Street at a respected place with a view like George’s.

South of La Jolla I recommend breakfast and coffee at Bird Rock Coffee Roasters, then spend the day on Mission Bay sailing, jet skiiing, or kayaking again. Mission Bay is a very different vibe than La Jolla, and is more fun-focused than nature-focused. Still, it’s an essential part of San Diego. Dinner overlooking the ocean at Tower 23 is a great way to view the action on the boardwalk.

Ocean Beach is culture in itself as well, and I love to visit this area when the surf is big. The pier is low, which makes it pretty interesting to watch! Also the food and beer culture is laid back, and authentic. The original Hodad’s is on the list here, as well as a drive up Sunset Cliffs for the sunset. Walk down the stairs at the end for low tide if you can!

Lastly, I would end up at Coronado. In my opinion, the best beach in San Diego is Coronado. You can watch the ocean here, but also the naval air activity from the base if you are interested. Brunch at the Hotel Del Coronado then I think your trip is complete!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
While I attribute much of my career and personal growth to inherited family qualities, there were certainly individuals who helped me in times of need. The then beverage manager at the Grand Hotel Stockholm actually personally recruited me to work at the hotel, when I was still bartending for cash as a student. She saw potential for me to lead in the hospitality business when I really didn’t understand much about that industry. I also become friends with an employer who owned a successful restaurant group in Stockholm, who introduced me to the industry from a restaurateur perspective and gave me the gift of his professional connections. Once I transitioned into the hotel side of the business, I have been lucky to have a string of mentors ranging from every hotel GM I have worked with, along with my direct leaders as Hotel Managers or counterparts in the form of sommeliers and chefs.

The Swedish national freediving team lead me on journeys around the world I never could have ventured upon as an independent traveler – meeting, and diving with, top divers from all over the globe in mostly remote locations offshore with crystal clear waters. They become athletic mentors but also life long friends, and I’m glad to see the sport grow today even though I mostly just lobster dive and spearfish now in San Diego. These travels, in combination with working in the luxury hotel business and living abroad for over 10 years, opened my eyes to the world in a way only those who are well travelled can understand.

Website: www.catchgaribaldi.com

Instagram: @catchgaribaldi

Other: Hotel website: https://www.ihg.com/intercontinental/hotels/us/en/san-diego/sanhb/hoteldetail?cm_mmc=GoogleMaps-_-IC-_-US-_-SANHB#scmisc=nav_hoteldetail_ic

Image Credits
Photos of Garibaldi were by Tim King.