Karl Strauss promotes exec chef from within
San Diego's first post-Prohibition Era craft-beer company replaces its executive chef of 26 years with long-tenured protégé, Corey Rapp
Karl Strauss Brewing has named Corey Rapp as its new Executive Chef. The Karl Stauss regional chef of 12-plus years assumes the role from the retiring Gunther Emathinger, who served as the San Diego-based company’s executive chef for 26 years.
A native of Rockport, Mass., a North Shore town outside of Boston, Rapp started his career with Karl Strauss in 2002 as a sous chef at the Sorrento Mesa brewpub. A San Diego State University alum, he became Menu Research & Development Coordinator in 2007, working closely in collaboration with Emathinger. He was then promoted to Regional Chef in 2012 to oversee all menu development and kitchen operations.
“I had worked with Gunther for my entire tenure at Karl Strauss, and I could not have asked for a better mentor, friend and culinary inspiration than him,” said Rapp. “Without his tutelage and the incredible team surrounding me, I wouldn’t have had any of the success here.”
Prior to Karl Strauss, Rapp served as Executive Sous Chef at Croce’s Restaurant & Jazz Bar for two years. It was during that time that Rapp became a fan of craft-beer and ultimately applied for the sous chef opening at Karl Strauss.
“I have enjoyed evolving the menu into what it is today – a consistently executed food ‘pubground’ where there is something for everyone,” said Rapp. “I am excited to continue developing our seasonal pairings like our current lemongrass chicken lettuce wraps paired with Windansea Wheat.”
Other menu highlights include duck fat pretzel bites, “nachos for grown-ups” ahi poke nachos, mac on tap mac and cheese, and beeramisu featuring lady fingers soaked in Karl Strauss’ Wreck Alley imperial stout with mascarpone and cocoa powder.
Karl Strauss was founded in 1989 as San Diego’s first post-prohibition craft brewery. It operates local brewery-restaurants in downtown San Diego, Sorrento Mesa, Carlsbad and Rancho Bernardo’s 4S Ranch community. The company also counts five brewpubs outside of the county in Anaheim, Corona Dos Lagos, Costa Mesa, Temecula and downtown Los Angeles.