As a young man growing up with a passion for fine food but lacking formal training, there were few options available to achieve his aspiration other than to build from the ground up. During his adolescence, Scott McGlothlin began his restaurant career in the San Francisco Bay area as an entry level dish washer and clean up assistant.
After taking a brief hiatus to earn a degree in Natural Resource Management at the prestigious Cal Poly Institute, he soon learned that there were many more job opportunities available to a qualified chef in the food service industry. After earning a degree at San Francisco’s well-known CCA Culinary Academy, he was ready to pursue his ultimate goal as a professional chef. Scott eventually moved to San Diego and, unlike many other fledgling chefs, was fortunate enough to find work almost immediately because of his well-honed techniques at the grill.
Laurel Rainwater was a restaurateur at heart who wanted to strike out on his own after his longtime affiliation with the Foodmaker Corporation, the original parent company of Jack in the Box Restaurants. He and his wife, Paddy, opened Rainwater’s on Kettner over to decades ago and hired the young chef, Scott McGlothlin, to head up the culinary operations at their landmark eatery. This era was not a particularly easy time for anyone who owned a restaurant that’s primary objective was to promote consumption of red meat.
While other Executive Chefs may come and go over time, Chef Scott and his valued partner, Sous Chef Tino Lopez, have been a veritable institution at Rainwater’s for over 19 years. Of course, as the CEO of operations, Laurel Rainwater continues to play an important role in determining the direction of the menu, it is Scott who ultimately oversees the execution of individual preparations and makes sure that there is consistency in every item that comes out of the kitchen.
Scott McGlothlin is not only a master of the grill, he is also a sensitive food stylist who continuously endeavors to augment the selections at Rainwater’s to include some of the most innovative gourmet creations in the city.