This week’s Someone 2 Know, is someone that many northern Nevadans may already know. The charismatic chef has owned restaurants in our region for 20 years and is always working on something new - including a current cable TV show. So, how did Mark Estee get started?
We caught up with him on a typical, busy day;
Meeting with staff, doing quality checks, this is what Mark Estee does on a regular day. But, at the end of last year, the chef-owner of Reno Local Food Group spent ten weeks staring in a new Food Network show called “Undercover Chef”.
Estee explains the premise; "Just dressing down a little bit, changing my name and going in as a prep cook and see what I can find out”
The show premiered July 2nd, with new episodes airing all month long
"I get to use my 25 years of the ups, downs, sideways and the all-arounds to really help, I draw on that experience"
Estee's experience began on the east coast, and it wasn't about cooking - at first.
"I grew up in Boston, I played sports, football to be exact and ending up playing football in college and maybe half way through my third year I quit school".
Because he always wanted to be a chef and felt a calling to be in the kitchen.
" I loved it from the dish-washing days to short order cooking to learning all the positions to culinary school and working at the Hyatt".
Estee made his way to Lake Tahoe in 1996, then -
"I opened Lahonton Golf Club in Truckee in '99, left there - opened Moody's Bistro Lounge, which is the first restaurant I owned, in the year 2002, and stayed there until I moved to Reno in 2011 to open Campo" .
Campo and other eateries were sold and now Estee is the chef owner of Reno Local Food Group, which includes Liberty Food and Wine Exchange in downtown Reno, Chez Louie in the Nevada Museum of Art, plus -
"The Overland, which is in Gardnerville, and we have Cucina Lupo and The Union, both in Carson City”.
Mark says staying busy is fun, but he's says he's never too busy to help guide someone who may be interested in joining the culinary world;
"I'll answer any questions, you know - 50 cents and a cup of coffee will get you as much advice as you wanna hear, so", he smiles.
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If you'd like to watch new episodes of Mark's show, "Under Cover Chef" – check the link below for the schedule
