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Chef Mark Tafoya in front of a beautiful garden tablescape ready for dinner

Meet Chef Mark

Mark C. Tafoya is a New York City personal chef. He is also a world traveler and self-taught gourmand. A graduate of Yale University and a former Broadway actor, his love of travel and food has taken him around the world. He hopes to share his love of world cuisine with you!

 

Chef Mark has been featured in the New York Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, TheStreet.com, Time Out New York and Bon Appétit, on the FOX Business Channel, and his food writing appears in the anthology Food and Philosophy published by Blackwell Press. He is the co-author of the cookbook The Gilded Fork: Entertaining at Home, A Year of Dinner Parties. 

 

Chef Mark was co-founder of the Culinary Media Network, the world’s first all-food podcast network. He has served on the National Advisory Council of the United States Personal Chef Association, and twice been honored by the USPCA as Marketer of the Year. 

Chef Mark Tafoya in Venice
Chef Mark Tafoya learning from local village ladies in Nepal
Chef Mark Tafoya cooking with Nepalese chefs

The Journeys

Chef Mark works with the US State Department, traveling to various countries to share about the unique culinary heritage of the United States, and to foster the development of food entrepreneurs. He has done projects in Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Nepal, and soon in Norway!

Our Flavor Profiles

Whatever the cuisine, our focus is on fresh, unadulterated ingredients at their peak. We let the ingredients speak for themselves, presenting them to you in an elegant yet unfussy way. Taste and refinement over flash, with emphasis on authenticity of ethnic traditions. 

Wild Mushroom Soup with creme fraiche
Pears poaching in a pot with cinnamon, cardamom and star anise
Braised Mediterranean Lamb Shanks over Creamy Polenta
Butternut & Sage Ravioli with Brown Butter Sauce

Italian
Party

Asian Style Crab and Avocado timbales with tobiko & salmon roes

Asian
Influence

Spicy radicchio and endive salad with cotija cheese and spiced nuts

Mexican
Flavour

PODCAST

Gilded Fork Entertaining At Home Cookbook

The Gilded Fork Cookbook

Entertaining at home made easy.

12 full 4-course meal plans, recipes, beverage pairings, and notes on technique. With menus tailored to the seasons, you can host a year of dinner parties!

YouTube Channel

Chef Mark loves more than anything sharing his love of world cuisine and cooking techniques. Once explored, you'll find that may great foods are based on simple techniques using quality ingredints. Chef Mark's cooking videos show you how easy it is to make enjoyable foods yourself.

Video

Culinary Media Network

From 2005-2010, Chef Mark was Executive Producer and host of the World's First All-Food Podcast Network. Traveling to locations around the world, he interviewed winemakers, distillers, growers, cheesemakers and chefs and tasting the world's best!

Remarkable Palate Podcast

Here is a selection of some of the best podcasts from Chef Mark's archives...

65 ReMARKable Palate Podcast #65
00:00 / 48:48
118 ReMARKable Palate #118
00:00 / 36:01
109 ReMARKable Palate #109
00:00 / 29:51
120 ReMARKable Palate #120
00:00 / 42:13
110 ReMARKable Palate #110
00:00 / 17:44
122 ReMARKable Palate #122
00:00 / 21:57
114 ReMARKable Palate #114
00:00 / 19:05
112 ReMARKable Palate #112
00:00 / 18:11
113 ReMARKable Palate #113
00:00 / 17:42
ReMARKablePalate227
00:00 / 22:21
Podcast
USPCA: United States Personal Chef Association

Chef Mark is a Certified Personal Chef, and a Premier member of the United States Personal Chef Association, the leader in the industry. He has served on the National Advisory Council, led panels at multiple National Conferences, and founded the New York Chapter of USPCA. 

mixed-italian-food-plates-on-table-PZ2M9

People are Talking

Our personal chef-for-two experience was absolutely delightful. Chef Mark Tafoya was courteous and professional and efficient! He was able to come into our small NYC kitchen and whip me and my date up a fantastic meal. Also, there were plenty of leftovers to have for dinner the following night, so that was an added bonus! Overall, everything was top-notch from the food to the service and especially the clean-up afterwards. We were left with a spotless kitchen and full bellies, what more can you ask for?!

— Fabio A 

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Remarkable Chef Mark delivers big time! Mark really created not only a wonderful meal, but also a meaningful experience. 

— Keith D 

 

Chef Mark was fantastic!! He was knowledgeable and personable. The meal was superb. He helped with ideas for the dinner, then shopped, cooked and cleaned up afterward. He worked hard, yet interacted with us while preparing the dinner, and became a part of the family. We all thoroughly enjoyed the evening and look forward to doing it again in the near future. 

— Charles C 

    

Chef Mark was wonderful! Everyone at my dinner party loved him, as well as his creations!! Excellent experience. 

— Ellen Z 

    

My cooking experience was excellent. He made and served an amazing meal for us.

— Joan D 

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Chef Mark and the experience were everything that I could have asked for and more. Prior to the event, Chef presented me with a huge amount of food options, all of which seemed delicious. The party was a surprise for my mother, and he was super-accommodating with the menu and changing arrival time. Once the evening began, the guests were in for a treat. Each and every course was superbly cooked and presented beautifully. While he was working, Chef Mark went out of his way to explain what he was doing and why he was doing it. He answered all of our questions and maintained a great rapport with the guests. Everyone was raving about the experience, and we can't wait to do it again. Chef Mark is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! 

— Brian K 

Chef Mark was awesome. We had an amazing meal in the comfort of our home with great friends. I highly recommend this experience.

— Frank R  

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Mark Tafoya was not only a great chef, but a great person to be around for the evening. He was very thorough with the review of what we wanted on the menu and provided ample choices for each course. During the time that he was in my home, he made us feel comfortable and answered all of the questions about how he was making each course. I would highly recommend this experience!

— Lisa O 

    

Chef Mark was amazing. From the first time we made contact through the night of our dinner, he was always responsive, communicative and friendly. Chef provided many delicious and unique dinner/menu options based upon our input. The menu we chose was absolutely DELICIOUS!! His culinary skills are unsurpassed. The food was fresh, delicious and beautifully presented. Add his positive energy to his culinary skills and it's really the total package. We all adored him. He was the consummate professional and we hope to have an opportunity to engage with him again. Without hesitation, I would recommend Chef Mark. 

— Mindy B  

    

Chef Mark Tafoya was an absolute pleasure! Not only was he pleasant and helpful while we were making menu selections but the food exceeded our expectations and was beyond delicious! He is a very talented chef! We had a wonderful evening and would definitely do it again! Thanks 

— Andrea & Matt K 

    

The overall experience was wonderful. We had a four-course dinner with Chef Mark Tafoya. He was wonderful. A great cook, extremely knowledgeable and so accommodating. The meal was delicious, the presentation outstanding. We had a wonderful evening. I will definitely use the service again!!!! 

— Lucille P 

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