Sebastian Maciel
Julia Morgan Ballroom | San Francisco, CA
September 2026
Born and raised in California, Sebastian Maciel was hooked on hospitality from a young age—his mother was a server and his father was a chef. By the time he was 16, Maciel had already started working as a dishwasher in his father's kitchen at Maddalena's in Palo Alto, California. Over the next few years, he picked up gigs as a busboy, host, server, and bartender before moving closer to San Francisco in 2010. After a few more years serving and bartending, Maciel secured his first kitchen job at Drake's Brewing Company, where he worked under Chef Nat McGowan and developed a passion for cooking. He saved up some money and eventually enrolled in culinary school at The International Culinary Center in Campbell, California.
After graduating in 2019, Maciel joined the team at the Julia Morgan Ballroom, where he learned to work in a high-volume, events-focused kitchen under the guidance of Chef Larry Finn. When the pandemic hit, Maciel became a sous chef at The Cannery Kitchen & Tap in Castro Valley, California. A year later, Finn reached out and asked him to come back to San Francisco to work on the reopening team at Gary Danko. Maciel spent the next year and a half at the fine dining restaurant, where he dove into fish butchery, sauce making, and kitchen management. After a brief stint back at the Julia Morgan Ballroom, he joined the opening team of Left Bank Brasserie in Oakland before moving to Coqueta a year and a half later.
In 2024, Maciel rejoined the team at the Julia Morgan Ballroom as the property's executive chef. Since then, he has taken on the task of overseeing culinary operations while fostering the growth and development of his cooks. With a focus on local and seasonal ingredients, Maciel is bringing more of his voice and perspective to the venue's food, and hosting events for organizations like Bay Scholars and The Arc San Francisco.
2026 StarChefs San Francisco-Oakland Rising Stars Award Winner