Ballast Point Announces New Culinary Director, Chef Tommy Dimella

In an effort to continuously reflect its “Dedicated to the Craft” ethos, Ballast Point is pleased to announce the addition of Chef Tommy Dimella as the brand’s Culinary Director. Chef Tommy will oversee all Ballast Point kitchen operations, driving a new culinary point of view launching first in San Diego at its Miramar and Little Italy tasting rooms in June.

Ballast Point Announces New Culinary Director, Chef Tommy Dimella

Chef Tommy Dimella’s inventive yet approachable menu

The overall menu direction steers toward an eclectic mix of globally-inspired dishes and New American pub favorites that remain inventive yet approachable, with ingredients that work complementary to the flavor profiles of the brand’s core beers. It’s a menu geared for beer with flavors that complement the spectrum — from the sweet and smoky elements of the roasted malts in a rich, amber ale, to the fruit-forward notes and smooth, balanced bitterness of Ballast Point’s gold-medal winning IPAs, dishes are crafted to be perfectly paired.

Chef Tommy is creating a deeper emphasis on seasonal and locally-sourced ingredients whenever possible and broadening the range of dishes, moving from lighter to comfort-style to satisfy a range of palates and pairing preferences.

His new menus are currently available in Ballast Point’s Little Italy and Miramar tasting rooms and will soon launch in Anaheim, Long Beach and in the new San Francisco tasting room, which is slated to officially open doors this summer.

Ballast Point Announces New Culinary Director, Chef Tommy Dimella

Ballast Point’s New Culinary Director’s cooking journey

An East Coast native, Chef Tommy Dimella received his Culinary Arts degree from Johnson & Wales and set out on a more than 30-year professional cooking journey working in kitchens across the globe, including Pamplemousse Grill in Solana Beach under Chef Jeffrey Strauss.

As craft beer is the cornerstone of the Ballast Point experience, Chef Tommy spent several months tasting through, cooking down and integrating beer profiles — earthy, malty, hoppy, sweet — into his new dishes in order to align harmoniously with the brewery’s portfolio. Weekly rotating specials will integrate new beer releases —- providing fresh and ever-evolving pairing choices.

New menu hightlights

The new menus are similar across the Miramar and Little Italy locations with slight variations and feature the addition of on-site smokers for proteins including the low n’ slow brisket and 12-hour smoked pork shoulder, as well as housemade scratch sauces, dressings, glazes and vinaigrettes often featuring beer as the defining flavor component.

Ballast Point San Diego

Menu highlights from the Small Bites portion of the menu include:

Whipped Goat Cheese (vg) | Served with seeded lavash crackers, California strawberries and olive oil and cumin-spiced honey
Bar Jar | Smoked trout dip with dill, lemon and sour cream served with heirloom carrots, cukes, sweet baby peppers and grilled ciabatta bread
Pretzel Breadsticks (vg) | Hot and fresh pretzel baguettes from Rockenwagner Bakery served with Grunion Pale Ale cheese sauce and Mains
Buttermilk Fried Chicken Sandwich | A skin-on breast marinated overnight in pickle juice, garlic, and buttermilk, kale slaw with a honey mustard glaze, dill cucumber and Sculpin IPA hot sauce on a brioche bun
1/3lb Angus Smash Burger | A 6 oz. prime blend smash with white American cheese, BP special sauce and pepperoncini all on a Martin’s Famous potato bun
Boneless Beef Short Ribs | Fall-apart beef short ribs slow cooked in Calico Amber Ale with horseradish mashed potatoes and pea shoots
12-hour Smoked Pork Shoulder | Smoked in-house with cheddar jalapeño cornbread, pickle slaw with Grunion Pale Ale cheese sauce, “comeback” sauce (tomato, mustard, vinegar and black pepper) and fresh apple garnish to Pizzas (Miramar)
Hawaii Five-O | Hoisin in-house smoked BBQ brisket (smoked for 8 hours until fork-tender) is tossed with a Hawaiian BBQ sauce (hoisin, brown sugar, pineapple juice, sesame and red chiles), smoked mozzarella, pineapple and pickled onions
Hot Honey (vg) | Mozzarella, ricotta crema, mushrooms, arugula, roasted garlic, housemade spicy honey drizzle

Ballast Point San Diego

A variety of fresh salads and sweets round out the menus. From crudités to the more substantial full plates, Chef Tommy has created a balanced and approachable culinary program designed with everyone and every beer in mind.

For more information on Ballast’s Point new menu offerings, please visit Ballast Point’s website here.

See you there, San Diego!

Share This Post
The Latest
All-In 4 Change program grant
Harrah’s Resort Southern California is marking a decade of community impact by increasing its annual All-In 4 Change program grants to $250,000, representing a $100,000...
La Jolla Art & Wine Festival
The La Jolla Art & Wine Festival returns for its 17th year with exciting new additions that reflect the event’s commitment to evolving with the...
Pendry San Diego
Pendry San Diego has been named the #1 Hotel in San Diego in the 2025 edition of Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards, marking the...
San Diego Wellness Week
San Diego Wellness Week is coming as the city’s inaugural wellness celebration, featuring five days of curated pop-up events before culminating with the signature Novo...
Whiskey & Fire Liberty Station San Diego
Whiskey & Fire is coming to Liberty Station, combining Heritage Fire’s live-fire cooking with Whiskies of the World’s premium spirit tastings for a dynamic culinary...
Jitters Coffee Pub summer bash
Jitters Coffee Pub is transforming their newly renovated space and parking lot into an all-day Summer Bash. This community-wide celebration marks the official launch of...
Recently Featured Restaurants
La Jolla’s dining scene is about to welcome something exceptional with LUCIEN, the debut restaurant from chef/owner Elijah Arizmendi, who brings Michelin-level technique to California’s...
The Beau Hotel has renamed its signature restaurant and bar to Witherby, marking a transformation that goes way beyond just changing the signage. This isn’t...
The opening of Lana marks a significant addition to Solana Beach’s dining scene, bringing together seasoned industry veterans and impressive culinary pedigree. This Solana Beach...
The team behind Kindred and Mothership has done it again, but this time they’ve ventured into completely new territory. Vulture just opened in University Heights,...
The coffee and bagel spot we’ve been waiting for has officially arrived in Ocean Beach. Spill the Beans just opened their fifth San Diego location,...
San Diego got a serious culinary upgrade with Little Italy’s Barra Oliba, the Spanish-inspired bistro that opened late in 2024. The restaurant has already established...