Meet Chef Mark Estee

Inspired. Bold. Energetic.

liberty_100318_00390_1_2_30_1_40.jpeg

Throughout his extensive & dynamic tenure, Chef Mark Estee has wholly embodied these traits to forge an outstanding career as a proven chef, restauranteur & community leader in Northern Nevada & beyond.

Estee’s career spans more than 27 years leading culinary teams across the nation. An ardent advocate for food entrepreneurs, he is recognized among his contemporaries as a proponent of the local food movement.

Among Estee’s core values is a belief in empowering chefs, producers, and communities by connecting people back to their food. He incorporates these philosophies into his everyday work & practices, advising chefs & restaurants in Northern Nevada & throughout the United States. To learn more about this philosophy, read his manifesto.

Following an education at Johnson and Wales University’s College of Culinary Arts, Estee embarked on his career in Boston, working for the Hyatt Corporation under mentor Eric Howson. As the executive chef at the Hyatt’s Lone Eagle Grill in Incline Village, Lake Tahoe, he honed his culinary practices under the tutelage of early pioneers for the organic, locally sourced ingredient movement.

In 2002, Estee began his work to bring life to the culinary scene of the high desert and reconnect chefs & communities with local producers with the opening of his first endeavor, Moody’s, in Truckee, CA. He has since developed an impressive & diverse portfolio of restaurants, eateries & projects in Northern Nevada & nationwide. These efforts have culminated into what has become known as Reno Local Food Group. He is viewed as a leading culinary influence in Northern Nevada and beyond.

Mark Estee with short hair and red glasses wearing a denim apron standing in the ZLINE demo kitchen with white tile backsplash, wooden cutting board, red peppers, eggs, and bowls on the counter.

In addition to his community & restaurant endeavors, Chef Estee has taken his talents to television, becoming the star of Food Network’s premier show, Undercover Chef. In this series, Mark sets out to diagnose problems for failing restaurants and get them back on track for success.

Currently, Mark continues bolstering his pursuit of providing locally & responsibly sourced ingredients to all of his restaurants, and their patrons. When it comes to seasonally fresh ingredients being served, you’ll find that Mark stays busy with providing the best in business.

Two chefs cooking pasta in a restaurant kitchen.

What’s On The Menu

  • Two men talking and smiling in a restaurant kitchen, with one in a chef's uniform and the other in a checkered shirt.

    Simple. Seasonal. Fresh. Local

    Explore Reno Local Food Group’s efforts to make sourcing local, fresh ingredients more commonplace.

    Reno Local Food Group
  • Two chefs in a commercial kitchen, one salting a pan of pasta on the stove and the other holding a container with vegetables.

    Undercover Chef

    Watch Chef Mark Estee go undercover to save restaurants and guide them back to profitability. Now streaming on Food Network.

    Watch Undercover Chef
  • Chef standing outside with a restaurant sign reading 'Lupo' above.

    Discover Restaurants

    As a leading culinary influencer in Northern Nevada, he has built an impressive portfolio of restaurants & eateries ranging in style and cuisine.

    View Restaurant Portfolio
  • Person preparing raw salmon fillet on a wooden cutting board in a kitchen.

    Master The Kitchen

    Watch Mark show you how it’s done in a home kitchen setting where demonstrates select recipes in his partnership with ZLINE Kitchen and Bath.

    ZLINE Kitchen Partnership
 

Navigating The Pandemic