John began his restaurant career in 1977 and has been the General Manager at Walt’s Wharf since 1989. He adopted Walt Babcock’s philosophy: “If you want to look good, surround yourself with good people.” Many of Walt’s employees have worked throughout their high school and college careers, and their loyalty and enthusiasm is displayed through their work. A talented chef and long term kitchen staff has allowed Walt’s to maintain a high level of excellence. John’s motto, “Be The Best You Can Be!” has inspired the staff to continue to strive to offer our guests more than expected.

In his spare time, John and his family train and compete in running and triathlon events. John and his son Keith completed the Ironman Arizona triathlon in 2006. John’s wife, Dana, and sons Keith and Kyle completed the Escape From Alcatraz triathlon in 2007 and 2008. In June 2011, John, Dana, Keith & Kyle all competed at Ironman Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

Christopher is a local Californian who is passionate about food and has traveled the world sharing his craft with local island communities.  Chris is an intrepid sailor, reverent adventurer and experienced surfer as well as an Ironman triathlete.  A graduate of Servite high school and the OCC Certified Culinary Program; Chris has worked in highly successful restaurant operations in Orange, San Diego and Los Angeles.  Starting as Executive Chef at Walt's Wharf in 2006, Chris has imparted his cooking personality on the menu and enhanced the skill level of every cook on his staff insuring consistency and quality products at all times.

Walt’s Wharf Sommelier, Jonathan Moore is a native of Okemos, Michigan. He can remember the delight of eating fresh caught fish and vine ripe tomatoes from the backyard as a youngster. He also remembers sneaking a sip or two of his parents Blue Nun, with their permission of course, and has been smitten ever since.

Jon started in 1993 in the kitchen of Chef Michael Connery at the Bloomfield Hills Country Club in Suburban Detroit and learned the basics of cooking. From there he was a grill/line cook at Pistachios for Fish in East Lansing, Michigan.

Moore graduated from The University Of South Carolina in 1995, and in 1998, moved to Costa Mesa to pursue a coaching career in the sport of swimming. During his tenure at Irvine Novaquatics, Moore met Walt’s General Manager, John Ryan. Moore was hired as assistant manager in January 2000, and was excited to be back in the restaurant business at the historic Seal Beach fish house.

“I feel humbled to be in the position of wine director at a restaurant of Walt’s prestige,” said Moore, who has compiled a list of over 400 wines with balance and representation of all major wine regions in the world. “My satisfaction comes from seeing our guests fully enjoy a wine and food pairing offered by our server that the guest would have never thought of on their own…. I like to see them give the guest an experience outside of their usual realm of food and wine.”

As both a Los Alamitos High School and California State University Long Beach graduate, Debbie grew up as a member of the Seal Beach Community. “One of my favorite aspects of working here at Walt’s Wharf is being able to see people I have known since I was a kid, and now I get to see them come in with their families. It reminds me of what a special community Seal Beach is and how fortunate I am to still be part of it.” After graduating from college, Debbie relocated to San Francisco and worked for gourmet chocolatier Joseph Scmidt in their sales and marketing department.

When Debbie returned to Southern California she joined Walt’s Wharf as a member of our service staff. She then went on to work as an event coordinator in the Los Angeles Fashion Industry but found the food industry to be her true calling, and thus returned to Walt’s Wharf. Since 2001 she has been a member of the Walt’s Wharf management team where she has been able to combine her experience in event coordination with her passion for great food and hospitality as Walt’s Wharf Large Party Coordinator.