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Chef Todd Barrett at The Beach House
The culinary bug bit Chef Todd Barrett at an early age. Inspired by a close family friend who taught him how to bake pastries, cakes and cookies, he discovered a love for cooking that led him to preparing meals for his family. He soon found creating his own dishes to be an even more fulfilling aspect of cooking, giving him a wider range of ingredients and more room to play. By then, he knew he wanted to become a chef. 
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By the mid-1980s, Todd found himself working in an upscale Marin County
restaurant, and had the good fortune of being able to work with excellent chefs such as Mark Franz, known from Stars and Farallon restaurants in San Francisco. As a consultant, Franz critiqued Barrett's soups and sauces, in what became an invaluable learning experience for him. | |
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Barrett began taking culinary classes at the local community college, but found
that working in a high volume restaurant taught him the trade in "real time;" hence, he began to immerse himself in his work. | |
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In the mid-1990s, Barrett and his wife relocated to Seattle, where he took the
position of Sous Chef at Union Square Grill, one of Seattle's premier dining establishments. It was at Union Square Grill that Barrett gained recognition for his regional and continental cuisine, winning awards both at local food festivals and within the corporation. | |
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Barrett's love of seafood brought him, his wife and daughter to Hawaii in 2000,
where he could learn more about Pacific Rim cooking under the watchful eye of Chef Todd Carlos at the Seawatch Restaurant on Maui. "The fish in Hawaii are unique," says Barrett, "Like no other fish in the world. It's very exciting to work with Hawaiian fish." | |
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The opportunity to take over the helm of The Beach House's kitchen came
about at the beginning of 2005, and the offer to become Executive Chef was an easy choice for Barrett. At The Beach House, Barrett is able to take advantage of the island's bounty of fresh Hawaiian fish, while continuing to do what he found fulfilling at an early age: creating new dishes with a wide range of local ingredients . . . more room to play! | |