Oceanside chef wins prestigious California sustainability award

Davin Waite, best known for his sushi restaurant Wrench & Rodent Seabasstropub, was honored for his zero-waste ethos policies

BY PAM KRAGEN

AUG. 25, 2022 5:01 PM PT

OCEANSIDE —

Davin Waite, executive chef and co-founder of three Oceanside restaurants, has been honored this month by the California Travel Association with its 2022 Sustainability Advocate Award.

Waite is the co-founder of Wrench & Rodent Seabasstropub, Shootz Fish & Beer and The Plot, a plant-based zero-waste restaurant. The award recognizes Waite’s sustainable efforts to reduce waste, improve recycling and manage the travel impacts of his businesses.

“Chef Davin Waite epitomizes the sustainability ethos; it is genuinely a part of every aspect of his being, including cooking. He embraces total utilization and zero-waste cooking as well as dedicates time and resources to volunteer and educate people on this subject matter whenever possible: whether it’s other chefs, culinary professionals, or youth at the local elementary schools,” CalTravel said in a statement.

Oceanside chef and restaurateur Davin Waite has received the California Travel Association’s 2022 Sustainability Advocate Award.

(Courtesy of the California Travel Association)

Waite was the only California chef honored in this year’s awards, which will be presented at the organization’s 39th Annual California Travel Summit Oct. 3-5 in Palm Desert. This year, CalTravel named nine honorees in the fields of travel advocacy; homeless advocacy; diversity, equity and inclusion practices; best workplace, and more.

Joe Terzi, the former president and CEO of the San Diego Tourism Authority, was also honored by CalTravel with the Brad Burlingame Award. This is given to an individual or organization that has elevated travel and tourism advocacy in California by setting an example of commitment, generosity and effectiveness. Terzi was recognized for his continued commitment to promoting tourism, even after he retired from the position at the local tourism marketing agency in January 2020.

That was Terzi’s second retirement. He began his hospitality career with ITT Sheraton Corporation in 1972, rose through the ranks and eventually was promoted in 2002 to senior vice president for Starwood Hotels & Resorts, where he remained until his initial retirement in early 2009. But he was quickly recruited to the tourism authority that same year and led the agency for a decade.

Also honored in the 2022 CalTravel Awards is the San Diego Convention Center for its advocacy for the homeless. During the first year of the pandemic, the shuttered convention center housed more than 4,000 individuals and helped more than 1,300 individuals and 43 families find permanent or longer-term housing. For more details, visit caltravel.org.