San Diego native Travis Swikard developed an inherent fascination with food at a young age with photographic memories ranging from trying duck for the first time at eight-years-old while out to dinner with his great grandparents to waking up on the beach in Mexico during a family surfing trip and paddling into the ocean to catch fresh lobster to cook with scrambled eggs for breakfast. One of his most vivid memories was unwrapping presents on Christmas morning and discovering the cookbooks of Chef Daniel Boulud –– a memory that would play a formative role in shaping his career trajectory. His professional journey officially took off in high school when a one week stage under Chef Deborah Scott turned into a four year job and his first high-end, service-oriented restaurant experience. At Island Prime, Travis met other aspiring young chefs including Gavin Kaysen who’d recently moved to San Diego to be executive chef of San Diego’s revered El Bizcocho. At the time, neither knew they would eventually be peers, both holding executive chef positions at Chef Daniel Boulud’s lauded New York City restaurants. Prior to his New York City endeavors, Travis enrolled in the New England Culinary Institute (NECI). There he not only learned French technique and how to work on a farm and respect the integrity of ingredients, but also the importance of establishing systems in a kitchen and how to manage a team. Upon completing NECI’s culinary arts program Travis headed to England to join the team at Chef Phil Thompson’s renowned Auberge du Lac. In 2008 Travis returned to the States and was serendipitously contacted by Gavin Kaysen, who had moved from San Diego to New York City to run Michelin-starred Café Boulud. In another stroke of luck, he met his wife Mia while out celebrating after his first night on the job. After continuing on to open DANIEL as executive sous chef, Travis subsequently was named executive chef of Boulud Sud where his childhood aspiration fully became a reality. Finally in 2019, after more than a decade in NYC, Swikard made the decision to move home to San Diego – now with a family of his own – to begin work on his first solo restaurant, Callie.
