About Me
March 16, 2009 · 5 comments
My name is Gareth Mark, and I live in Portland, Oregon. I have a checkered past. My first career, as a musician, included a Command Performance before H.R.H. Charles, Prince of Wales, and performances for King Hussein and Queen Alia of Jordan. My second career, as a pastry chef, featured four years at The Winchester Inn in Ashland, Oregon, and the appearance of one of my recipes in a Burt Wolf segment on CNN; the chef did the spot but completely blew the recipe. For my third career, I moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, and devoted a decade to genealogical research and writing. As the Internet bubble neared its peak, I began my fourth career in the high-tech industry as a database administrator with Egghead in Vancouver, Washington. After riding it into bankruptcy, I worked at a couple of start-ups that also went into bankruptcy and rendered my patent worthless. Deciding that the high-tech world was a bit too risky, I turned to the world of retail for my current career, and returned to cooking as a teacher. Interspersed throughout, I attended various colleges for some length of time, never managing to complete a single degree program, and studied eleven languages, never managing to become fluent in any of them.
I offer private and small-group instruction as well as personalized in-home catering services. Contact me via email at Gareth (at) Stumptown Savoury (dot) com for further information.
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My name is Gareth Mark, and I live in Portland, Oregon. I've been a line cook a few times and worked several years as a pastry chef.
Nice looking site!
hey gareth, i think i saw you yesterday getting on a bus down at 5th and davis…you reading heat? that book changed my life..keep fighting the good fight!
Hello Gareth,
I’ve just jumped into the fray and am finding this community of people a welcoming group and feel privileged to be able to intersect with such a broad and dynamic field of articulate and capable foodies. Your background is encompassing, and now food is all the better for it. Lee Ann.
Thanks! Thanks to Cristoph it’s getting better.
That was me alright, coming off giving a couple of tours at the Portland Classical Chinese Garden. Heat is a lot of fun to read. Reminds me of some good (and not so good) times in restaurant kitchens.