Richard Garcia
executive chef
Known as one of the North East region’s rising star chefs. Richard Garcia is a self taught chef whose passion for food began when he was just thirteen years old. Born in Guatemala, his professional journey began in Boston MA and eventually South Beach Miami where he worked in some of South Florida’s finest restaurants. He became a U.S. Marine and enlisted as a food service specialist. Richard’s skill was apparent even in the Marine Corps, as he graduated top of his class at both the U.S. Army Quartermaster School and the US Marine Corps Food Service Academy. He served with the 1st Battalion 25th Marine Regiment and was deployed in support of the Global War on Terrorism; at times he was employed as a personal food service specialist to high ranking officials.
After his enlistment was up he would continue work in the Boston area’s finest restaurants, rising through the ranks until he was promoted to Corporate Executive Chef of Culinary Operations for Stoneforge Restaurants, a multi unit/multi concept restaurant group where, at 25 years old, he was responsible for the culinary development of 4 restaurants and the USDA approved BOH operation that supplied all restaurants with meats, seafood, soups and sauces all of which were produced from scratch.
Richards modern, globally influenced cuisine earned him rave reviews and appearances, including a local appearance on TV Diner with Billy Costa and an invitation to participate in the inaugural Foxwoods Food and Wine Festival, as well as a spot at the table for the First Celebrity Chef Poker Tournament, where he played in support of the Anthony Spinazzola Foundation, which has been helping the homeless and supporting culinary education in the state of MA for many years. In January 2008, Richard won the “Chef Showdown” at the Mohegan Sun’s SunWine Festival. In June he appeared as a guest chef at the PGA Tour’s “Taste of the Tour”. In August, he will be a featured guest speaker at the Wine Diva’s annual “Divas Uncorked Wine Festival” on Martha’s Vineyard, and will appear again at Foxwood’s Wine & Food Festival at the new MGM Grand Resort in September.
Through his travels, which include Guatemala, Spain, and the Caribbean, he developed a passion for using the finest imported and locally sourced sustainable ingredients which eventually earned him the spot as Executive Chef of two of the U.S. Virgin islands hottest restaurants where he was noticed by the Pulitzer Prize winning V.I. Daily News. The publication rated him as having the most creative cuisine in the Virgin Islands. Also during his island stay, OK Weekly magazine rated eating at Havana Blue Restaurant in the top 3 things to do when visiting the Virgin Islands. He was also asked to participate in a cookbook written by Alan Battman, the world-famous food photographer. Battman’s “Sandwiches of the World” was released in September 2007 and Richard’s recipe sits alongside some of the world’s most noted chefs.
Now as the Executive Chef of Tastings Wine Bar & Bistro, he will showcase his love of globally influenced small plates cuisine and is committed to using only the finest local sustainable ingredients as well as sourcing the best imported products in the world to create a unique and memorable dining experience.
