Mario Martinez Vice President, Food & Beverage/Corporate Executive Chef Epicurean Life

A 32-year veteran of the restaurant business, Mario Martinez developed a love of good food and wine while growing up in Spain, born into a family of entertainers and restaurateurs. The Martinez family eventually relocated to Miami, which was home base until 1996. While going to high school and throughout his college years, Mario learned the art of elegant food presentation and the serving of fine wines working as a waiter in restaurants specializing in French service. When promoted to Captain, he was taught flambé cooking and subsequently worked the dining rooms of Miami’s top restaurants (Vinton’s, The Hasta, Chez Vendomme). Realizing he had a flair for cooking, Mario decided to work additional jobs in other professional kitchens to learn under the tutelage of several local Master Chefs as well as using his artistic talents to study ice carving.

With a true passion for culinary and service excellence, Mario continued working in both the kitchens and dining rooms of cutting-edge establishments in Miami until joining Royal Caribbean Cruise Line as cellar master in 1978. Mario fell in love with the multi-ethnic influences of the Caribbean and developed an interest in the exotic tropical ingredients used by New World cultures as well as the cooking heritage left by ancient indigenous civilizations of the Americas.

Mario subsequently returned to Miami and resumed working his way up the kitchen ranks to eventually attain chef status. He was Chef du Cuisine of acclaimed restaurants like The Spiral and The Courtyard Inn before eventually accepting the position of General Manager/Executive Chef of Key Colony Gourmet Shop & Caterers in Key Biscayne. Now an experienced caterer, Mario began 24 Carrot Cuisine in 1983, providing full-service gourmet catering and event planning. During this time, Chef Mario also began teaching cooking classes at Fairchild Tropical Gardens and Ariana’s Cooking School specializing in ethnic cooking with tropical ingredients.

In 1991, Mariod Harvest House, a 200-seat fine-dining restaurant and lounge in the his-toric Anderson’s Corner, which he had purchased and restored. The restaurant showcased the sub-tropical produce grown in South Florida prepared with Mario’s unique passion for ethnic flavors. Harvest House was critically acclaimed as a “New World Cuisine” restaurant and was very successful until closing due to damages sustained by Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Unfortunately, building code and legal complications made re-building unfeasible. Chef Mario accepted a position as Corporate Executive Chef of American Banker’s Insurance Group World Headquarters in addition to offering a food & beverage consulting service while rebuilding his life.

Chef Mario relocated to Orlando in 1996 to join The Disney Institute as a full-time Senior Chef Instructor and received his Certified Executive Chef recognition by the American Culinary Federation shortly thereafter. As a result of passing the rigorous qualification exam administered by The Court of Master Sommeliers in 1999, Chef Mario also received his Advanced-Level Sommelier Certification (of which there are only 110 in the U.S.); he subsequently created and facilitated the hands-on wine appreciation programs at the Disney Institute culinary studios while striving for Master Sommelier status. In January of 2002, Chef Mario left Walt Disney World to join the Epicurean Life (Fred’s Restaurant, J.D. Ford’s Wine Shop, Morton’s Market and Mor-ton’s Catering & Special Events) team in Sarasota as Corporate Executive Chef, directing all facets of culinary mentoring, menu development, food production, and executing special events.

Fred's Restaurant
1917 S. Osprey Ave.
Sarasota, FL 34239