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Mark Young, Executive Chef
Mark Young's love for pristine ingredients, robust flavors and simple preparations is evident in the compact seasonal menu he has created to complement Ottimista's extensive wine selection.
A Philadelphia native, Mark, 30, learned to cook from his mother. He worked as a restaurant cook while studying Environmental Science at the University of Colorado, Boulder and soon realized that he preferred life on the line. After taking time off to work full time, he enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. An externship in Chef Michel Bourdin's kitchen at the Michelin-starred Connaught Hotel in London solidified his training in French cuisine and technique.
After completing his coursework at the CIA, a fellow classmate Chad Ogden introduced him to his father Bradley Ogden, who promptly offered Mark a job at Lark Creek Inn. Recognizing the opportunity, Mark moved to San Francisco in 2000 after graduation. During his tenure at Lark Creek Inn reporting to Chef Jeremy Sewell, Mark worked all of the stations in addition to responsibilities as full time butcher and expeditor. "I learned to run every area of a restaurant during my time there," he says.
He joined Charles Phan's ground-breaking Vietnamese restaurant The Slanted Door as sous chef, and there honed his managerial skills and assisted during the restaurant's move from the Mission to its present location at the Ferry Building. He was then recruited by Chef SantÈ Salvoni to work alongside him as dinner sous chef at The Slow Club, the perennially packed Mission district restaurant bar. "I learned all my Italian technique and cuisine from Salvoni," says Mark, "His approach to food, with emphasis on fresh, seasonal ingredients and simple preparation, is really close to my own." A stint as chef de cuisine at Real Restaurant's Bungalow 44 in Mill Valley was an invaluable experience in opening and running a 110 seat restaurant.
At Ottimista, Mark characterizes his cooking style as "the simplicity of the food speaking." He looks forward to collaborating with Jerad Ruhl on wine pairings and with Melissa Gisler on menu development and desserts.
Mark lives in Cole Valley.
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HOURS
11:30 AM to 11:00 PM Tuesday - Thursday
11:30 AM to 2:00 AM Friday
10:00 AM to 2:00 AM Saturday
10:00 AM to 10:00 PM Sunday |
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LOCATION (map)
1838 Union Street
San Francisco, California 94123
tel (415) 674.8400
fax (415) 674.8333 |
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