Noted chef at Laguna Beach’s Driftwood Kitchen, Deck killed in Dana Point crash
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A well-known Orange County chef and co-owner of two neighboring Laguna Beach eateries died Monday in a solo vehicle collision in Dana Point, sheriff’s officials reported this week.
Rainer Schwarz, 59, partner and executive chef at the oceanfront restaurants Driftwood Kitchen and the Deck on Laguna off South Coast Highway, was pronounced dead at the scene, near Crown Valley Parkway in Dana Point, at around 4:50 p.m.
Investigators believe Schwarz was driving an Audi on Crown Valley Parkway, near Pacific Coast Highway, when his vehicle veered off the roadway, traveled through landscaping and came to rest in a parking lot, Orange County Sheriff’s spokesperson Sgt. Gerard McCann said Tuesday.
It is still unknown exactly what caused the incident or Schwarz’s death, McCann said.
Born in Klagenfurt, Austria, Schwarz began his culinary training at age 15 and later worked at the Grand National Hotel in Lucerne, Switzerland, where he met Chef Joachim Splichal before relocating to Los Angeles.
He also worked as a chef in Colorado, where he opened several bistros and pubs in the Denver area, and later served as executive chef at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood in 2009.
In Orange County, Schwarz worked at the Deck and Driftwood Kitchen in Laguna Beach, and also planned menus for Hendrix Restaurant and Bar in Laguna Niguel, which has since closed.
Business partner John Nye in a statement Tuesday described working with Schwarz at Disney’s Mondavi Project and the Roosevelt before teaming up to build the Deck and Driftwood Kitchen “as a reflection of our love for good food and good people.
“We always wanted to be recognized first for our people, then our food, and lastly, the location,” Nye said. “That’s when we knew we had it right. If we had a legacy it was the family and friends we have made in Laguna to this day.”
Schwarz leaves behind a wife, Tasha, and son Max.
City News Service contributed to this report.
Updates
12:11 p.m. April 8, 2026: This story has been updated to include a statement from John Nye, co-owner of Driftwood Kitchen and the Deck on Laguna.
