Martin grew up in Austria and moved to New York when he turned 19. While working in a large restaurant he learned to cook for a multitude of people and to do it well. It is a skill he still utilizes when he does catering for big events in Aspen. After New York it was off to San Francisco to work for a famous Austrian Chef, Wolfgang Puck at Postrio. This three story restaurant, with a kitchen staff of 75 had a multitude of different foods, tastes and plate presentations. “Everything at Postrio was made from scratch – from the puff pastry to the breads and the housemade salumi.” Martin worked every station at Postrio and actually turned down a promotion to be sous chef because he wanted to learn more about butchering. It was at Postrio that Martin was introduced to Asian flavors, foie gras terrines, house-smoked salmon and where he saw for the first time the breaking away of using butter sauces and béchamel. “Vegetables were grilled and marinated with EVOO. It was light and fresh cooking. It’s still a big influence for me today.” After Postrio came a stint at Sweet Basil in Vail and then Syzygy where he began working in 1995.

influential, interesting,