Marina del Rey, CA – Chef Chad Minton is as versatile and artistic as his culinary creations. Chef Minton cooked his way through the culinary ranks with a successful career that spans the United States and Canada. He is known for his innovative and personal take on classical cuisine and has studied under luminaries such as Jeremiah Tower, David Frakes, Hubert Keller, Roland Passot and Jacques Pepin.
After a successful three years with The Shoreline Grill in Austin, Texas Chef Minton traveled west to join the acclaimed Dining Room at The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco. Under the guidance of Chef de Cuisine, Gary Danko a James Beard House Best Chef; Chef Minton tirelessly worked to expand his culinary range which lead him to his next position as Sous Chef at The Ritz-Carlton, Atlanta.
Eager for consistent growth Chef Minton continued to perfect his skill and earn his following with a move to Hyatt Hotels and Resorts in San Francisco where he quickly became a media favorite with regular guest cooking spots and hosted weekly segments for California Country T.V.
Chef Minton’s talents were not only recognized by the culinary community but sought after and in 2002 he was once again on the move to Vancouver, British Columbia as a chef for the Hyatt Regency International. Yet again he made a splash and could be seen on local cooking shows and teaching to sold out culinary classes.
Throughout his career Chef Minton has strived to utilize local, often organic, seasonal ingredients in his menu selections. Never a fan of the unnecessary, Chef Minton describes his signature style as sophisticated not complicated cuisine.
In 2008 Chef Minton returned to California as Chef de Cuisine at Jer-ne Restaurant + Bar located in The Ritz-Carlton, Marina del Rey. Within months he was promoted to Executive Chef for all of the hotel’s food and beverage outlets. Drawing on his passion for regional cuisine and conscience menu selections, Chef Minton has taken the lead in creating an entirely new menu concept; a California Steakhouse with a conscience for the acclaimed Jer-ne waterfront dining experience.
Chef Minton partners with Niman Ranch for aged prime meats free from hormones using holistic ranching techniques and The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Program for quality seafoods caught locally while protecting endangered fish populations. By purchasing ingredients nearby, Jer-ne is doing its part to reduce the global carbon footprint. “The decision to go local was an easy one. The decision to go sustainable on seafood and all-natural in beef was a necessary one,” said Chef Minton.
Before he donned a chef hat and apron, Chef Minton could be found carving up the city streets as a sponsored amateur skateboarder. Today Chef Minton still skateboards in his down time and donates his time and talent to several charitable causes including the American Liver Foundation’s “Flavors of L.A.,” “A Taste of L.A.” benefiting the AIDS Research Alliance and March of Dimes.