CHEF MARK GARCIA
Born and raised in the Bronx, Chef Mark Garcia grew up in a big, boisterous family — his mother was one of twelve siblings — where large gatherings and family-style meals were a way of life. Food could be more than sustenance, he came to understand. It could be art, a challenge, and a way of pushing yourself.
Chef Mark came to the culinary world by a winding road. He enrolled at college intending to become a teacher, but when his roommate — studying hospitality — needed help with an event, Mark stepped in. He never looked back, changing his major and graduating in 2015.
After training at the James Beard Award-winning Spoon & Stable in Minneapolis, he went on to build an impressive résumé across some of New York's most prestigious kitchens. He spent six years on and off at Eleven Madison Park, an experience that left a lasting imprint. Notably, in 2021, EMP tapped him to help launch their pioneering plant-based pantry program. He also worked at Bouchon Bakery before finding his way to Five Acres, where a different kind of education awaited. Led by a Per Se alum, Five Acres taught Mark that the nuances of fine dining could,and should, live within everyday food, and how to deliver that vision at high volume.
From there, Mark took on a project close to his heart, helping a friend of a friend open Hungry Llama, a beloved West Village café and hotspot. Over the course of a little more than a year, he developed the full food and beverage program, and the results spoke for themselves: the café found real success, with several dishes going viral and earning Hungry Llama a devoted following. The experience deepened his appreciation for casual, community-rooted cooking done with intention. Today, Mark is part of the team at Kora, a bakery in Sunnyside, Queens, where he oversees a team of twenty cooks and launched the bakery's savory weekend program.
Chef Mark's cooking philosophy is as grounded as his path. He believes in food that is deeply approachable — cuisine you actually want to eat, priced so that guests don't have to spend immensely to enjoy it. He cooks seasonally, intentionally, and with a sharp sensitivity to place and community. Every menu he creates is audience-specific, rooted in where he is and who he's feeding.
