Our Story
Food is a life-style
Marc Alvarez began his cooking career at the tender age of 16. It was at this point that he started to develop his own unique cooking style. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, Mr. Alvarez began honing his skills in various New York City restaurants, where he received accolades from New York Magazine’s Gael Green.
In the fall of 1996, Chef Marc Alvarez moved to the exclusive island of Anguilla, B.W.I., where he quickly established himself as one of the most revered chefs on the island. It was there that Marc Alvarez began to fine-tune his cooking abilities. He worked at establishments such as The Straw Hat Restaurant and Cove Castle Resort, where he developed quite a following. Mr. Alvarez was part of Anguilla’s culinary team when he won an award for the most innovative Caribbean dish. He was also highlighted and acclaimed by the travel press and featured in the Robb Report, the Condé Nast Traveller, including the “Hot List,” and the New York Post.
The cuisine styled by Chef Marc, who has cooked at Aureole and Andiamo, is all about good products and simple preparations. In the spring of 2000, he returned to New York, where he worked as a private chef and developed a small but intimate catering business.
In 2002, he took over the helm of Crispo Restaurant and, two years later, joined Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group. It was here that Chef Marc was instrumental in the opening of the Cafes at the Museum of Modern Art. While at the MoMA, he received a great amount of acclaim from The New York Times; Diner's Journal, The New York Post, Nations Restaurant News and the Italian Corriere Della Sera.
During the fall of 2009, Chef Marc joined Donna Karan as Executive Chef for her Urban Zen Foundation. In the spring of 2010, Chef Marc created Concierge Foods a farm to home delivery service and joined the grass roots movement ‘Slow Food Metro North” as its resident chef.
In 2014, Chef Marc returned to the island of Anguilla with his family, his wife Natalie and his two daughters Ariana and Milla, and established himself once again with the re-opening of Cove Castles and a “Wood-Fired Concept” that was the central focus of restaurant's cuisine. In 2016, Marc took the helm at Malliouhana, An Auberge Resort, where he quickly garnered praise for his innovated approach to seafood cookery using local ingredients.
In 2018 Chef Marc launched EMBER, a simple approach to creating great food using live fire cooking. Local and seasonal products are complimented with the flavor of smoke from burning embers, simply prepared but deftly executed.
It is Marc Alvarez's genuine love of cooking that has fueled his passion for the culinary arts for the last 30+ years.
