Mark first stepped into a restaurant kitchen at 9 years old, when his aunt brought him to work at a diner one weekend. She put him to work, filling ketchup bottles and replacing napkin containers, and from that day he was hooked. As a teenager, he started his own candy business and got a job at a burger restaurant. These early job experiences confirmed for Mark that he wanted to work with food and be in kitchens. After some time in the military and a year of community college, he decided to pursue a culinary education to build on the skills he had learned on the job. One big lesson was vocabulary, as he explains “not calling it a white wine and butter sauce. It’s a beurre blanc.” Mark continued to work, while studying, at a variety of restaurants, from country clubs to steak houses, perfecting his craft at each one. Though there were times when he had to step back from the industry, he always found his way back.

A job that is as physically, mentally, and emotionally demanding as working in a kitchen, takes years of practice and a constant willingness to learn. As he’s moved into head chef positions and now as a culinary manager, he’s learned that empathy, and being able to recognize others’ strengths and weaknesses, is also a large part of the job. “I’ve had prep cooks that are hundred pounds soaking wet that can burn through a 50 pound bag of onions in 30 minutes, and they’re all perfect. But you have to pick up that 50 pound bag for them because there’s no way they’re doing it. It’s realizing that they have so many strengths, but if they have a couple of weaknesses, that’s not a big deal.” Mark makes it a point to also educate those who are coming up behind him. “I’ve always tried to make it a place of education and fun and a pursuit of something beyond ourselves. I mean, it’s one plate at a time. And all we’re trying to do is feed people. It’s not that difficult. Just try and try and show people love and grace.”