Featuring Chefs John Lambiase and Mark Sapienza

Chef John Lambiase is a Massachusetts native with more than a decade of experience cooking in some of Boston’s finest hotel restaurants. Since joining the staff at The Langham Hotel (formerly Le Meridien) in 1996, after a stint at The Ritz-Carlton, Boston, Lambiase has served as First Cook at both Café Fleuri and at the Langham’s elegant French restaurant, Julien. Lambiase left the Langham briefly in 2000 to work as Sous Chef for the Millennium Bostonian Hotel’s Season Restaurant, returning in 2001 to take on the role of Chef de Cuisine at Café Fleuri.

Lambiase’s Mediterranean cooking style has been influenced by frequent culinary expeditions to Italy. In 2000, he worked at the Fatorria della Torri restaurant in Modica, regarded as “one of the best restaurants in Sicily” by La Guida D’Italia. He holds a Masters Degree from the Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners in Piemonte, Italy and also graduated with honors from Johnson & Wales University with a B.S. in Food Service Management and an A.O.S. in Culinary Arts.

Chef Lambiase has a passion for cooking that began in the restaurant of his father’s motel. To maintain his strong connection with Italy, Lambiase enjoys visiting the country on a regular basis to sample regional cuisine and find new products. He also takes pleasure in growing his own produce, including tomatoes and twenty-seven varieties of herbs. He currently resides in South Weymouth, MA.

Mark Sapienza has been with the Langham Hotel, Boston since 1988. When Mark was hired, the Massachusetts native’s appointment marked the first time in the hotel's history that an American chef was selected to guide the Langham’s award-winning culinary endeavors. With a passion for using the freshest, highest-quality ingredients, Mark’s dishes marry seasonal New England ingredients and modern French cooking.

Mark was introduced to the culinary world at a young age. Being of European heritage, weekly family gatherings and holidays always revolved around festive meals and shared family recipes. He attended Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island, and while there worked as a chef at a small Italian trattoria, applying practical experience to his education. He graduated with honors in 1984 with an Associates degree in Culinary Arts and a Bachelors degree in Food Service Management.

Following graduation, Mark began his career at the nationally recognized Apley's restaurant as chef tournant. He later joined Horizon Hotels as an executive sous chef. While with Horizon, he worked at various luxury properties along the East Coast, including the Brazilian Court Hotel in Palm Beach, Florida; the Montauk Yacht Club and Inn in Montauk, New York; and Arrowood of Westchester in Rye Brook, New York. His time with Horizon Hotels also afforded Mark the opportunity to work at the world renowned Claridge’s hotel in London, England.

Upon his return from London, Mark settled in Boston and began working at the Boston Harbor Hotel, a four-star, four-diamond property. He spent eight years working as executive sous chef for the hotel’s nationally acclaimed restaurant, The Rowes Wharf. Mark has received numerous accolades from colleagues and food critics, and was honored with an invitation to present a dinner at The James Beard House in New York.

Mark resides in Stoneham, MA with his wife Donna, two step-daughters, Adriana and Giovanna, and son, Christian. They enjoy spending time together at home, as well as spending time in Maine and traveling throughout New England.

Featuring Chefs Thomas Peterlik and Cathy Jones

Thomas Peterlik, a native of Austria, graduated with a degree in culinary arts from Berufschule Salzburg. After seven years of honing his skills in kitchens around the globe-Switzerland, Mexico and Costa Rica, Thomas secured a position which married his passion for travel and food as the Executive Chef for the Silver Seas Cruise Line. After receiving a Cornell University Food & Beverage Diploma he worked as Food & Beverage Director aboard the M/V Silverwind.

After four years at sea and one year in restaurants in New York’s “Little Italy” Thomas joined Yale in September 2000 as the Executive Catering Chef. His time in Connecticut has brought many changes to both his professional and personal life. Thomas has created over 800 new recipes and spent countless hours training and developing the Yale Catering production staff. In November of 2003 he was promoted to Executive Chef for Yale and then in 2005 to lead the newly created Culinary Resource Center as its Director. In addition to these accomplishments Thomas and his wife Amy welcomed the arrival of their daughter Elena in February 2002 and son Sebastian in December 2005.

Yale Alumni Class of ’94, Cathy Jones is now the Chef of the Yale Sustainable Food Project. Before returning to Yale, Jones was the Research Chief at Gourmet Magazine, New Jersey Food Critic for the New York Times, Time Off NYC Critic for the Financial Times, Test Kitchen and Research Editor for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Sous Chef at Susan Morton Catering in Greenwich, CT, and PR Director at Dancing Deer Bakery in Boston, MA.

Jones received her A.O.S. with distinction from the Culinary Institute of America in ‘98, after interning at Eating Well Magazine in Charlotte, VT and Chez Panisse Restaurant and Café in Berkeley, CA. Her time with Alice, her connection to Yale, and her exposure to the merits of sustainability during her years in food publishing inevitably led Jones to the Yale Sustainable Food Project in February 2004. Jones strongly believes in the common goal (a.k.a. Alice’s infectious, ‘delicious revolution’) that serving simple, local, seasonal, and organic food to those eating and working at Yale will impact the community, the region, and ultimately the world at large.

Featured Chef Evan Mallet

Lindbergh's Chef Evan Mallett returned to Portsmouth with his family in 2003 to assume the post being vacated by founding Lindbergh's Chef Jeff Tenner. Since that time, he has driven the kitchen's migration into the flavors of Iberia, North Africa and beyond, while maintaining the adherence to French technique that has made Lindbergh's a local favorite for almost a decade.

Featuring Executive Chef Steven Sprague

While exploring the hospitality industry of Worcester County, Chef Sprague, a Fitchburg native, studied culinary arts at Newbury College and The Cambridge School of Culinary Arts. In 1995, Sprague journeyed to Florida and enrolled in the Florida Culinary Institute in West Palm Beach. While living in South Florida, Steven survived seasonal work challenges by skinning alligators and cooking backstage for touring musicians. As a student, Steven was employed at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach and joined the American Culinary Federation’s Palm Beach County Chapter, earning several medals in hot food competitions around Southern Florida. Steven graduated from the Florida Culinary Institute in West Palm Beach in 1997 and returned to New England. Chef Sprague is a member of the Massachusetts Culinary Association and Les Amis d’Escoffier. At The Nashoba Valley Winery, Steve has found a unique environment in which to infuse Regional American Cuisines with our own fruit wines, home brews, and orchard crops.