The story
behind Hearth

I’ve always loved food. I think part of that comes from growing up in a Mexican-Venezuelan home where food wasn’t just something we ate—it was the way we connected. My parents passed down their culture through the meals they cooked, and every summer, my abuela would come stay with us. She filled our kitchen with the smells and sounds of home: slow-cooked beans, warm tortillas, and stories told between bites. She taught me that great food starts with heart.

I started working in restaurants when I was young—everything from Mexican spots to poke shops—and eventually worked my way up through Chick-fil-A, where I spent five years learning the ins and outs of leadership, systems, and hospitality. But the more time I spent in those kitchens, the more I felt the pull to cook more creatively. That led me to kitchens like Frontside Café and Rory’s Place in Ojai, where I began to really learn the craft. I fell in love with the pace, the pressure, and the constant chance to grow.

My wife Kellie shares that same love for food, but for her, it's always been about people. She grew up in a big, welcoming family where the table was never too full, and hospitality came naturally. She also spent time abroad in underdeveloped communities, where she saw firsthand the impact of malnutrition and the lack of access to clean water. That experience shaped her deeply and gave her a lifelong passion to fight hunger and care for those in need. It also led her to pursue a degree in nutrition, wanting to better understand how food can truly nourish and heal.

That background is a big part of why we’re so intentional about how we cook and what we serve at Hearth. We're a seed oil–free restaurant by choice, because we care deeply about using ingredients that are both high quality and good for the body. From sourcing to preparation, we’re committed to serving food that we’d feel good about feeding our own family.

That’s also why we donate 10% of our net profits to Africa Renewal Ministries, an organization working to provide food and life-saving care to individuals and families facing extreme poverty in Uganda. It’s a reminder that the work we do here can—and should—extend beyond our walls.

Kellie and I met when we were 18 and 19, and we built our relationship around shared faith, a love for people, and a desire to serve. Over the years, we started dreaming about creating a place together where food, hospitality, and purpose could come together in a meaningful way.

That dream first came to life as Seb’s Woodfire, a simple pop-up we ran together, cooking wood-fired pizza and serving guests at breweries, coffee shops, and events all over town. What started small quickly grew, and for two years, we got to do what we loved side by side. But we always knew it was just the beginning.

Hearth is the next chapter.

It’s a place rooted in where we come from—the warmth of my grandma’s kitchen, the constant movement and laughter around Kellie’s family table, and the lessons we’ve picked up in every kitchen we’ve been a part of along the way. We built Hearth to feel like home. Our kitchen is open, our team is tight, and every dish we serve is something we care deeply about.

We chose woodfire because it’s honest. It takes patience and attention. It connects us to the way our ancestors cooked—over flames, with care, and always for others. There’s nothing flashy about it, but when it’s done right, it brings a kind of warmth and depth that’s hard to beat.

At the end of the day, Hearth is about creating a space where people feel welcomed, well-fed, and genuinely cared for. A place for connection, for lingering conversations, for meals that turn into memories.

We’re just getting started, but we’re so excited to see where Hearth and our team will go.