Renowned Laguna Beach chef Rainer Schwarz died in a solo car collision on Monday, April 6.
The executive chef and partner at Driftwood Kitchen and The Deck on Laguna Beach, Schwarz was born in Klagenfurt, Austria. He started his culinary career at 15 years old before coming to Patina and Pinot in Los Angeles. He formed Sentinel Restaurant and Hospitality Group, which owns and operates The Deck on Laguna Beach and Driftwood Kitchen, with John Nye in 2013.
Rainer, 59, was driving in the area of Crown Valley Parkway and Pacific Coast Highway in Dana Point on April 6 when his vehicle veered off the road, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office told media. The vehicle went through a landscaped area before coming to rest in a parking lot. He was pronounced dead at the scene, and the cause of his death is currently unknown…