Chef Tyler Hamm, the dynamic Executive Chef at Pacifica Seafood Restaurant, is a culinary force rooted in nature’s bounty. Growing up in South Florida, where fishing and camping were second nature, his early experiences of eating what he caught and hunted planted the seeds of his food journey. These formative years gave him a profound respect for ingredients that now inspire his culinary masterpieces.
Chef Hamm’s entry into the restaurant world was practical—he needed to pay his rent. But what started as a necessity soon became an obsession. With each new station he mastered, each dish he perfected, and every challenge he conquered, Chef Hamm’s love for the culinary arts exploded. What began as a job transformed into a lifelong passion.
Now, Chef Hamm is not just a chef—he’s a culinary artist with a mission. His goal is to elevate food beyond mere sustenance or a decorative party centerpiece. For him, food is a profound experience, a medium of love, connection, and memories. His dishes are crafted to ignite these emotions in every bite, making each meal at Pacifica Seafood Restaurant an unforgettable adventure.
At Pacifica Seafood Restaurant, Chef Tyler Hamm translates his deep love and respect for food into extraordinary culinary creations. His dishes invite guests on a journey to see food through his passionate eyes, transforming every meal into a celebration of flavor, artistry, and connection. Dive into an unparalleled dining experience with Chef Hamm and discover the true essence of culinary excellence.
Learn more about Chef Tyler Hamm
1. When did you realize you wanted to become a chef?
I grew up in South Florida, so I was constantly surrounded by water and seafood. Growing up in a small town we would often go out fishing for sheepshead and bring them home to filet and grill. We would set crab traps in the swamp and come back the next day to bring home buckets of blue crab. I’ve been surrounded by seafood my entire life and thus it came naturally that I would have an affinity for it.
2. What is your culinary education background and experiences?
I never went to culinary school, so all of my experience and knowledge is from the restaurants I’ve worked at. I spent the first 2 years of my career in South Florida cooking in a couple of different seafood restaurants, a golf course, and a Mexican restaurant. Fortune brought me to New York City where I was able to work for Union Square Hospitality Group for a handful of years before COVID. There I learned more of my craft and began putting together the pieces of who I would become as a Chef. Creatively I started to take off post covid at Charlie Bird, a restaurant in the Delicious Hospitality Group. Life brought me out to the Palm Springs area where I now am the Executive Chef at Pacifica Seafood Restaurant.
3. How do you describe your overall cooking philosophy?
My cooking philosophy is simplicity in ingredients and an appreciation for more the quality of the fish I’m cooking. Not the quantity.
4. What is the most important thing you look for when purchasing seafood i.e. consistency, quality, local, etc.? Why?
Quality is the number one thing but to me, consistency lends itself to that. If something is good once but not always then that’s not quality, that’s luck. In addition to that I would say that we are fortunate to have the laws and regulations we have around fish and seafood in California. I trust that this helps to weed out unethical and unsustainable fishing practices.
5. What are some of your favorite seafood items on your current menu? Why?
I have 3 favorites on the menu.
First is our whole grilled branzino, we serve it over arugula puree, and with confit and seared fennel bulbs.
Crispy fish skin! Do I need to even say more? Who doesn’t like it?
The dish itself is a snapshot of how I think about food. in terms of flavors, textures, simplicity, and creativity.
My 2nd favorite is our Wild Spanish Octopus. We slow-cook the octopus to get it nice and tender before we sear it on the plancha. Served over our chorizo oil and with chimichurri. Its partner in crime is the crispy fried shishito peppers that add excellent flavor and sometimes a little spice.
Bar food is an important part of any restaurant’s menu, and my favorite bar snack right now is our poke nachos. Made with small, cubed ahi we serve with wonton chips, pineapple, jalapenos, chipotle aioli, and ginger scallion puree. An excellent snack that goes well with your favorite cocktail.
6. We’d love to know more about your favorite seafood. What do you enjoy cooking at home and professionally?
At home, I have my 3 favorite types of seafood to cook. Scallops seared rare with a little brown butter and lemon, mussels that I sauté with wine, capers, and tomatoes, and striped seabass seared skin side down until the skin is crispy that I serve with roasted figs and pearl onions.
Professionally I can really say I enjoy cooking all the fish on our menu, and that I consider myself quite lucky to be able to do what I love for a living.
7. What do you like about Santa Monica Seafood’s product and service?
Santa Monica cares about quality and is consistent. Those are the top two things. The seafood is well-priced, and we have seafood reps who care about our business and want to have and maintain good relationships with us. But the thing I will always come back to is quality, and Santa Monica has that in spades.
Pacifica Seafood Restaurant
73505 El Paseo
Palm Desert, CA 92260
(760) 674 8666
pacificaseafoodrestaurant.com