Owner and Executive Chef F. Tadd Chapman hails from Vancouver Island, on the beautiful west coast of Canada, where he began his culinary studies at the age of 15. Through high school Tadd worked at the Winchelsea House restaurant under Swiss Chef Gerd Voight and graduated with honours while enjoying a class load consisting of 50% culinary classes in Dover Bay Secondary's professional kitchen.
After high school, Tadd choose the culinary arts program at VIU (Malaspina) under Master Chef Hubert Scheck and Chef Alex Rennie among others, excelling once again and graduating at the top of his class. After working for CP Hotels and Resort for a year, Tadd was convinced to come down to Mexico by his father in 1998. Quickly falling in love with Los Cabos and the Mexican Culture, Tadd moved down a month later to open his first of many restaurants, The Tulip Tree in April of 1998. Later opening Habaneros in 2004, Tadd coined the term "Mexican Fusion" cuisine to best describe his imaginative use of local ingredients and concepts with international flavors.
In 2010 Tadd was voted "Best Chef in Los Cabos" by the general public in the Cabo Social "Best of Cabo Awards". In the summer of 2012, the prestigious Mexico Traveller Magazine featured Tadd along with two others as one of the top Celebrity chefs of Mexico. Fourteen years and many restaurants later, Chef F. Tadd Chapman and his restaurants (Habanero's Gastro Grill, Don Sanchez) have become an important piece in the Los Cabos dining and social scene, as well as a constant contributor to the community and local charities. Chef Chapman's newest concept to open in fall of 2012 is The Retro Burger Bar.
