The Seasonal Chef's Biography

Hello and thanks for visiting my bio. My name is Mark and I'm the Seasonal Chef. I come to Incline Village and The Lone Eagle Grill most recently from L'Auberge de Sedona, a "4-Star/4-Diamond Resort" in northern Arizona where I was the chef for 6 years. Travel and Leisure magazine listed us as one of the "Top 100 Resorts of the World."

I started cooking professionally in a southern hotel kitchen then to New York's Essex House to Mortimer's to Capsuoto Frères, then on to Monte Carlo, and Arita, Japan. Along the way I developed a style that melds Mediterranean and Japanese cuisines with refined American fare.

My experiences under impresarios such as Wayne Nish of March, Alain Ducasse of Louis XV and Francis Jacquey of La Salière have provided the verve to be creative. Decidedly, my food bears the accents of many ethnic cultures. This is paired with vigilance in using the freshest seasonal ingredients available - cooked simply - and a peerless meal begins.

After a successful stint at New York's Provencal La Colombe d'Or, I opened my first restaurant, May We, a townhouse restaurant located on the Upper East Side, which met with critical acclaim. Peter Gianotti of New York Newsday, Gael Greene of New York Magazine, and Bryan Miller of The New York Times, amongst a host of others, penned rave reviews for the American bistro fare. I was also honored to be chosen to be a part of the James Beard Foundation's "Rising Star of American Cuisine" series.

I then returned to Bluegrass country, where I became the chef/owner of Amelia's Field Country Inn, set amidst 45 acres of fields and meadows in Paris, Kentucky. Always looking for ways to hone my skills and add multi-ethnic influences to my repertoire, I spent a winter in Arita, Japan at Restaurant Vingt-Cinque.

Deemed a "Mecca for fine dining," the Inn was chosen as one of the "Top Ten Country Inns for Dining" by Country Inn Magazine I once again appeared at the James Beard House where I was part of the Foundation's "Great Chefs of Country Inns" series.

I sold the country inn and restaurant moved to red rock country and the 100-room and cottage L'Auberge de Sedona. As Executive Chef, I oversaw the menus and daily operation of three restaurants, most notably the award winning L'Auberge Restaurant. Now a familiar face at the Beard House, I returned to be in the Foundation's "Great Chefs of Country Inns" series again.
It is now my privlige and pleasure to be serving central Oregon.