Chef Eric Bost helped bring the first Michelin star to Carlsbad four years ago, and just opened another San Diego restaurant that should get two or 600 more stars.

Raised in North Carolina, Bost’s first taste of the restaurant world came in his grandparents’ steakhouse and seafood joint. His classical foundation was forged in Europe at Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée and Les Ambassadeurs at the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris. In the U.S., Boat lead high-profile kitchens as exec chef, earning two Michelin stars at Restaurant Guy Savoy in Las Vegas and helping launch Guy Savoy’s Singapore outpost. Later, he helmed the kitchen at L.A.’s République before finally opening his own place on Melrose called Auburn. It was near universally loved, but the pandemic gutted it. Restaurateur John Resnick brought him to San Diego in 2020 as new exec chef of his French restaurant, Jeune et Jolie, and a year later they earned their first Michelin star. He now oversees culinary operations at wood-fired sister restaurant, Campfire, and he and Resnick recently launched two concepts as partners: Wildland, an all-day bakery and restaurant, and Lilo, a small tasting-menu only concept that enters Carlsbad into any “best restaurants in the U.S.” conversation. Simply, he’s one of the most humble, talented chefs at the forefront of San Diego’s food culture.