About me
At my childhood home in Minsk, the capital of Belarus in Russia, my family always kept a garden. My grandfather, who did most of the cooking, would use the fresh vegetables to make the family’s meals. The garden was really my first introduction to cooking. When my family moved to Madison, Wisconsin when I was nine years old, we continued the family tradition by planting a garden. I would often help my mother with the cooking, learning my way around the kitchen.
After working in restaurant kitchens in my teens and graduating from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, I began my career by working at Red Sage in Washington D.C. for Mark Miller, the pioneering chef who brought Southwestern cuisine to prominence. After four years in D.C., I headed west to California, where I expanded my repertoire to include classical French cuisine at Sans Souci (Carmel) and Asian fusion at Hawthorne Lane (San Francisco). I returned to the East Coast specifically to work for Daniel Boulud, a chef I greatly admire, but decided to return to the West Coast. I got spoiled in San Francisco, and I came back to the city I love.
I have worked in celebrated San Francisco restaurants with such talented chefs as Adrian Hoffman at One Market Restaurant, Daniel Humm at Campton Place, and Laurent Manrique at Aqua. A chance meeting with The Village Pub’s executive chef Mark Sullivan in New York City led to our teaming up in the spring of 2007 to run the beloved restaurant in Woodside, California. I’m proud to be part of a program that uses local ingredients.
The Village Pub’s partnership with a 5-acre organic farm in the foothills of the Santa Cruz mountains means that I can carry on the Village Pub’s tradition of pristine, seasonal cuisine. Each day, I craft the menu around a list of fresh-picked produce. The farm comes to us. It’s challenging and it gives me a chance to be creative. It’s such a difference using an ingredient fresh from the ground. The taste is incomparable.
In the limited free time I have, I enjoy exploring other restaurants and traveling. I live in San Francisco.
Cooking Influences
Mark Sullivan
Adrian Hoffman
Daniel Humm
Laurent Manrique
United States Chef
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August 26, 2008I've been going to the Village Pub for years; one of the few places on the peninsula that I can truly recommend. Great locally sourced food and sophisticated atmosphere. Happy to have Dmitry on the site!
