Colin O’Dea’s career reflects a thoughtful evolution across politics, culinary arts, and design, shaped by a lifelong commitment to hospitality, creativity, and service.

 

Colin began his professional life in political and issue advocacy, working on campaigns starting with the 2000 election. Over nearly fifteen years, Colin held senior roles with elected officials, nonprofit organizations, and political institutions in Washington, DC and more than 30 states. In 2010, he returned to Maryland to manage County Executive Ken Ulman’s successful reelection campaign, later serving as Executive Director of the National Democratic County Officials (NDCO). 

 

Colin's love of food, baking, and entertaining began in childhood, but he didn't  pursue formal culinary training until his early thirties. colin was accepted to culinary school in 2010 but was unable to attend. instead he took classes at local cooking schools, and learned through self-directed study, practice, and experience. When Colin moved to Los Angeles, he completed culinary school in the evenings and weekends while continuing his work in politics. This foundation led to the launch of Colin O’Dea Cakes.

 

The cake business quickly gained national recognition. Colin appeared on multiple Food Network programs, was featured in publications including Martha Stewart and Brides, and was named one of California’s Best Wedding Cake Designers. He worked at five-star resorts, wineries, and landmark venues throughout the state. Despite professional success, the pandemic prompted a reassessment of purpose, shifting his focus away from luxury celebrations and toward more meaningful, people-centered work.

 

Rooted in time on his grandparents’ farms in Virginia and Alabama, Colin has always felt a deep connection to the land. On these farms is where Colin developed a lasting appreciation for plants, place, and the rhythms of nature. After closing his cake business, Colin returned to school to study horticulture and landscape design, discovering a creative path that brought together his love of beauty, sustainability, and working with the earth. His studies deepened into a focus on California native plants, supported by certifications in permaculture and regenerative design, backyard beekeeping, and as a Santa Barbara County Green Gardener. In 2022, he founded Colin O’Dea Design, a green living and landscape design studio that also offered event consulting services – allowing him to merge his passions for design, hospitality, and gathering.

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Living in Santa Barbara wine country further expanded Colin’s interests in viticulture, wine education, and the broader agricultural traditions of the region. Surrounded by the vineyards of the Santa Ynez Valley, he pursued formal wine studies, completing WSET Levels 1 and 2 and beginning Level 3. At the same time, life in Santa Barbara County deepened his appreciation for organic farming, locally raised meat, and the simple pleasure of growing one’s own fruits and vegetables. The farmers markets from santa monica to santa barbara became an important source of inspiration and connection, bringing him into regular contact with innovative farmers, fishermen, and ranchers who are deeply committed to sustainable, organic, and regenerative practices. Living beside a 30-acre organic fruit and vegetable farm further strengthened Colin’s connection to the rhythms of the land, as he sourced produce almost daily and experienced the relationship between cultivation, seasonality, and gathering around food.

 

Ultimately, Colin felt called back to the culinary roots shaped by the Southern traditions that have long guided him: hospitality, family, community, and the shared experience of food. Feeding people and creating meaningful moments around the table remain central to his purpose. This renewed sense of direction has allowed him to reconnect with the values, relationships, and creative work that define his path today. Now rooted again in Los Angeles, Colin has created a business where he has brought together his background and expertise in events, food, wine, and design.