Jason Witzl
CHEF & OWNER
Born and raised in Whittier, Jason Witzl has been professionally exploring the Los Angeles culinary scene since he was 17, scrubbing dishes for famed uptown dive 6740 in his hometown. Since those humble days, Witzl has been working his way up the culinary scene throughout the region and world. He has been part of the finest food institutions, from Campanile and the Water Grill to the Manhattan Beach Post and Spain’s renowned, three-Michelin starred Restaurante Martín Berasategui. Through these experiences, Witzl learned and appreciated his love of Italian and Californian cuisine, combining the two to refine his approach to all things gastronomical.
After honing his skills to the point of confidence, he took the leap into owning and running his own restaurant, Ellie’s in Long Beach, named after his grandmother. Here, one can experience both Witzl’s skill and playfulness when it comes to re-interpreting Italian classics while elevating neighborhood dining. Witzl is also at the helm of Ginger’s in Long Beach, his 7-9 course chef’s tasting menu concept, and now Jolie, situated on Coronado Island.
Christian Biafora
OWNER
Christian Biafora was born and raised in the Santa Clarita Valley while attending high school in the San Fernando Valley. From there, he headed south down to San Diego to attend San Diego State University. That is where his love for San Diego began. During his tenure at SDSU, he found himself in Coronado often to get away from the craze of college life. In 2010, his family was lucky enough to purchase 126 Orange Ave and his connection with the island deepened. He did everything from manual labor to working as a busser at the Coronado Firehouse.
After college ended, he returned to Los Angeles to work in the theatrical film business and has been doing so for the past 11 years. However, the draw to Coronado and the locals he met never waned, and his desire to come back finally happened. Shortly after the 2020 pandemic, Christian and his wife, Megan, who also worked on the island during college, discussed how they could get back to San Diego where they first met. After joining forces with close friends Jason and Alex Witzl, the concept of Jolie was born.