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| Mark Alba by Christine Woodhouse Executive Chef Mark Alba has worked in some of the finest restaurants in Atlanta where he has honed his skills as a leading chef. After 14 years of experience in the food industry, Alba now brings his passion and talent to the innovative kitchen at The Food Studio, the regional American standout from Fifth Group Restaurants that was recently awarded the AAA Four-Diamond Award for excellence in fine dining. Alba comes to The Food Studio directly from Eno, where he served as executive chef since October 2002. Alba also worked as executive chef for Padriac’s in Roswell, as well as at Midtown’s Spice. He began his career in Atlanta as sous chef at Hotel Nikko, then became sous chef at Canoe, where he worked for more than three years under Executive Chef Gary Mennie. Alba prides himself on his attention to detail and strives for excellence in every occasion. He was asked to be a participating chef in both The Flavors of Atlanta 2005 to benefit the American Liver Foundation and Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation 2005. A recipient of an associate degree in culinary arts from the Art Institute of Atlanta, Alba’s passion for food and wine is matched by his passion for jazz music and spending time with his wife and dog. Mark Alba grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Alba first learned to cook from his mom. Growing up, he was always busy amid the kitchen activity, from setting the table to sautéing vegetables. In fact, the cooking gene may well be in his blood. Alba’s aunt, Bertha Brown, is known as the ‘doctor of food’ in Jacksonville, Florida where she now focuses her talent on custom wedding cakes. Alba paid his professional dues outside of his mother’s kitchen with jobs at American grills and Italian and French restaurants before earning a line cook position at New Orleans’ famous Commander’s Palace. He stayed for a year and had the fortune to work with Jamie Shannon, a well-known and widely admired New Orleans chef. Alba wanted to broaden his horizons beyond the Cajun-dominated food culture of Louisiana and this precipitated his next move, to the Art Institute of Atlanta. When he graduated in 1998, Alba took a position at Cassis in Hotel Nikko, which is now the Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead. Alba worked as a sous chef there for two and a half years before moving on to Canoe where he met his mentor, Gary Mennie. Alba’s tenure at Canoe lasted almost four years, while he served as sous chef but, more importantly, absorbed everything he could from Mennie, selected as one of the "Best New Restaurants" in the country by the James Beard Foundation Alba says he learned everything he knows from Gary Mennie and judging from Alba’s current standing and the caliber of his food, Mennie is an effective proctor. Alba is well-schooled in fusing fresh, local ingredients and his menu conveys an appreciation of quality food combinations. |
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| Executive Chef Mark Alba | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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