Chef Steve Brown Launching Chula Vista Restaurant Next Month

A year after returning to San Diego, to his hometown of Imperial Beach, chef Steve Brown is putting roots down in Chula Vista, where he will launch a restaurant called Temp° in August. The ambitious and outspoken chef currently has several other local projects in the works, from a bar in Barrio Logan to an eatery in Imperial Beach, while simultaneously running his signature Cosecha pop-up and a multi-city dinner series, “A Beautiful Contradiction”, featuring A5 Satsuma Wagyu and produce from Wild Willow Farm.

Brown is part of a brand new hospitality group that includes operations manager Mikey Knab and design powerhouse Tecture, which counts Kettner Exchange, The Patio Restaurants and Level2 at George’s at the Cove among its much-admired work. The team will open Temp° in the heart of downtown Chula Vista on its main 3rd Street thoroughfare in a space that used to house a catering kitchen and eatery for chef Flor Franco.

The restaurant is currently undergoing a minor makeover, with Tecture planning on doing a full design overhaul in January, but Brown will be serving guests starting Saturday, August 12 and onwards, featuring his popular “Boozy Brunch” every weekend. Beginning in early September, Temp° will debut dinner service from Tuesday through Saturday, serving a modern American menu sourced from Wild Willow Farm that promises to ring up at an approachable price point. Brown has recruited Paulie Desrochers from Boston, a popular chef on Instagram, as his chef de cuisine.

Going forward, Temp° will host Brown’s Cosecha pop-ups and other special dinners, which include an August charity event celebrating the anniversary of Wild Willow Farm and a record-setting 22-course version of Cosecha that’s scheduled for September. Its kitchen also plans to launch Press by Cosecha, a portable panini concept to help feed tasting rooms at local breweries.