Bio

naomi serizawa

culinary recruiter

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Almost a native Californian, Naomi Serizawa was born in Japan but has lived in southern California most of her life.  She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature at Occidental College in Eagle Rock, California and graduated with honors from the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco.

 She considers herself a career changer, having worked in the import-export business immediately after graduating from Occidental.  Her culinary career includes stints at Harry’s Bar and American Grill and the iconic and remodeled Blue Fox in San Francisco.  Returning to her native Los Angeles, she worked at Engine Company No. 28 and then spent ten great years with King’s Seafood Company including stints at Water Grill, Clearwater Seafood and Ocean Avenue Seafood.  While at Ocean Avenue Seafood, she managed the corporate culinary training program for managerial candidates that while challenging, was also very rewarding when she saw that ”Ah ha!” light bulb go off over a trainee’s head.

 After leaving King’s, Naomi worked for a quick service and catering concept franchisor as a culinary trainer and field consultant which entailed a lot of traveling to open new units. She participated in American Institute of Food and Wine’s program, “Days of Taste”, providing children with a hands-on salad-making experience in the classroom and lunch in her restaurants. 

Naomi’s recent move to culinary recruiting provides her with the opportunity to stay in touch with the restaurant business she still loves and to help chefs find their next great job.