Ivy Stark
Biography
As Executive Chef at Dos Caminos, Ivy Stark offers diners a wealth of experience gained at some of the country's top restaurants, as well as such acclaimed dining destinations as the New York fine dining institution The Sign of the Dove and the cutting edge market driven cuisine of Cena
Her passion for food developed as a child in Colorado, where she was exposed to fine dining at an early age through her father's career managing luxury hotels.
After finishing her history studies at UCLA, she attended Peter Kump's (now the Insitute for Culinary Education) and took a culinary externship which led to a full time positon at Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger's award winning Border Grill.
After spending two years working every station at Border Grill (including pastry), Stark moved back to New York to work at a number of highly acclaimed restaurants. "I wanted to learn the classic French style of cooking, as well as modern, cutting
edge techniques", she explained.
Her first position in New York was as sous chef to ground breaking chef Gary Robins, followed by a position as sous chef under Andy D'Amico at The Sign of the Dove. After The Sign of the Dove closed in 1998, Stark moved on to become Executive Sous Chef at the short lived, but widely acclaimed Cena, where she worked closely with revolutionary chef Normand Laprise (of Montreal's Toque!)
When mentors Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger offered her the chef de cuisine position at Ciudad in Los Angeles, she could not refuse, and she helped open the pan-Latin hot spot to rave reviews. The excitement of New York City compelled her to return to an Executive Chef position at the chic American-Asian restaurant Match Uptown, followed by a twist, when she was named beverage director and sommelier at Brasserie 8 1/2. "I felt I needed to spend some time with wine and fine dining service to continue my education as a chef", Ivy explained.
The passion for cooking remained strong, leading her to a position as Executive Chef at Zocalo, as Corporate Chef at Rosa Mexicano, and the contemporary, seasonal product-driven coastal Mediterranean Amalia.
As Executive Chef of Dos Caminos New York, she has earned her right to be ranked among New York's top chefs.
Currently exploring plant-based and healthy Mexican cuisine at her two restaurants Ivy Stark MEXology and BKLYNwild at the Time Out Market in NYC