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Chef Craig Brady

Chef Craig Brady

As Haven Craft Kitchen+Bar in Old Towne Orange enters its 10th year in business, it is led by Founder & CEO Wil Dee and Executive Chef Craig Brady, who oversees the restaurant’s noted culinary program. Chef Brady’s years of experience and noticeable passion helps in creating dishes that add finesse to the menu and provide an unparalleled dining experience.

Chef Brady received his formal training in New York City’s French Culinary Institute. During his stay there, he worked and staged at some of the city’s most exciting kitchens, but his first paid position out of culinary school was at the newly opened Montage Resort in Laguna Beach and its flagship restaurant, The Loft. He went on to the Patina Group’s highly acclaimed French bistro, Leatherby’s, and noted Scott’s Seafood at South Coast Plaza. It was because of his time at the latter that he was tapped to open a very popular and busy seafood restaurant in Santa Monica first as Sous Chef, then as Chef, gaining local and national write-ups along the way. Chef Brady’s reputation led him to Boston to aid in the opening of an authentic Verace Pizza Napoletana, or VPN, certified enoteca called Posto. This restaurant was praised as among the Best of Boston, and It was here as Chef de Cuisine that Chef Brady developed a love affair with Italian cuisine and philosophy that is still visible in his food to this day. The experience in Boston served as the perfect stepping stone to head back to Orange County, where he would join the Haven team in 2012 as Chef de Cuisine.

During those four years at Haven, Chef Brady defined his style and created something truly unique and special in the form of very intricate and creative beer-paired dinners with local breweries. In 2016, Chef Brady took on something new and challenging by joining the team at the heralded Ranch Steakhouse in Anaheim as Executive Sous Chef to run a grand operation efficiently and expertly.

Last year, Chef Brady returned to Haven, this time as Executive Chef. He adds a new sentence to the acclaimed restaurant’s already rich story, and his history with the restaurant has allowed him to connect with the Old Towne Orange community as he works to keep the menu fresh, innovative and relevant.

Over the next four years, Chef Brady defined his style and created something truly unique and special in the form of very intricate and creative beer-paired dinners with local breweries. In 2016, Chef Brady took on something new and challenging by joining the team at the heralded Ranch Steakhouse in Anaheim as Executive Sous Chef to run a grand operation efficiently and expertly.

In April 2018, Chef Brady returned to Haven Gastropub, this time as Executive Chef to add a new sentence to the acclaimed restaurant’s already rich story. Having spent the past two years working with Chef Michael Rossi at The Ranch Restaurant, Chef Brady brings new perspective and added finesse to the menu at Haven.

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