For more than two decades, Chef Mark Ayers has continued to strengthen his culinary skill while developing a savvy for the restaurant business. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY in 1992 ranked number one in his class and voted most likely to succeed, Ayers served as Kitchen Manager for Dante’s Restaurant Inc. in Pennsylvania where he oversaw the entire staff, learned the logistics of training and stock, and was responsible for the start up of a new unit.
In June 1994, Ayers moved out west to take a position at the celebrated Park Hyatt Beaver Creek in Colorado, working his way up from Chef Tournant to Executive Sous Chef by the time he left in 2002. The sunny weather and prime produce of California beckoned, and Ayers relocated to Carmel to work as the Executive Chef for Highlands Inn where he was able to fine-tune his skills for menu development, experience with banquet functions, and helped facilitate the annual Masters of Food & Wine event, a premier west coast culinary production .
In 2007, Ayers joined the Hyatt Regency in Monterey, CA as the Executive Chef where he was responsible for all culinary operations for two hotels making him a regional expert in Central Coast hospitality. Ayers joined the team at Coastal Luxury Management in 2010 founded by the directors of Pebble Beach Food & Wine to launch Cannery Row Brewing Company and Restaurant 1833 where he now serves as the brand’s culinary advisor.
