Jacob Anaya - Biography

Jacob Anaya grew up cooking in the kitchen with his Native American-Mexican mother and Mexican grandmother. His family grew most of the produce they used at home in their vegetable garden. That experience instilled in him the standards with which he cooks today.

Anaya’s first formative job was at Campton Place in San Francisco where he trained under Chef Laurent Manrique. In 2002, Anaya moved to Australia to work at lauded restaurants such as Wildfire and Bel Mondo. He returned to the States and California, and then to Hawaii to work at the Pahu i’a Restaurant at the Four Seasons as the chef de cuisine. Since then he’s taken the reigns at OTC where he showcases his ability to cook creative Asian American food in a non-pretentious setting (OTC does stand for Over The Counter after all).