About Chef Matt Brown

Executive Chef: Collage, Blackfly

A self-taught chef and a native of Jacksonville, Matt honed his culinary expertise at One Ocean resort. Currently he is the Executive chef at Collage restaurant, which has been recently awarded top 100 restaurants in the nation by Opentable.com.

Matt also serves as Executive chef at Blackfly restaurant as well as chef consultant to Blackfly lodge in the Abacos Islands.

Credit: Edible Northeast Florida

Collage Restaurant Blackfly Restaurant

About Chef Michael Lugo

Chef Michael Lugo

Owner/ Executive Chef: Michael’s Tasting Room

Leading the culinary team at Michael’s Tasting Room is Chef Michael Lugo. Originally from Puerto Rico, Michael is a self-taught Chef, who cultivated his skills starting at a young age from his family. Especially his grandma which inspired his passion for food. Chef Michael worked in many restaurants from Dallas to St. Augustine, learning all aspects of the restaurant industry before embarking on his own path.

Chef Michael believes in sourcing local and sustainable ingredients. Locally grown produce, seafood, and meats play a major role in his menu development. He also believes seeking artisans from around the world, who share his values, and offer products unique to their seasons and historical authenticity.
In addition, he leads his team with a philosophy of involvement in charitable efforts by contributing his time and talent to various causes such as The Spanish Wine Festival, a nonprofit devoted to assisting local charities. By participating in fundraising events like The Spanish Wine Festival, Michael helps give back to the community in which he's found creative satisfaction.

More about Chef Michael Lugo

Michael’s Tasting Room

About Chef Fred Underhill

Head Chef, Sunset Grille

A Connecticut native and award winning chef, Fred Underhill became interested in cooking at the age of 13, just after the loss of his mother, While working his way up through the ranks in restaurant kitchens in CT, Fred enrolled in the Center For Culinary Arts to build on his working knowledge and to improve on his culinary skill.

After graduation, Fred worked in various Italian restaurants, pizzerias, and bakeries, before moving to Florida in 2005. In 2006, he joined the tram at Sunset Grille as Saucier, and moved into the position of Head Chef in 2013.

Fred’s creativity, love of friends & family, and passion for food, reveals itself in every dish he creates.

Sunset Grille

About Chef Marcel Vizcarra

Owner, Executive Chef: Llama 

Vizcarra realized his passion for the culinary world as a boy growing up in Peru. At 16 years old, he promised himself that he would open a restaurant at the age of 27. “I learned to take my first steps in cooking from my mother. Later, I trained with some very big name chefs in Peru. My official culinary training came from Cordon Bleu Culinary School in Lima,” Vizcarra explains of his brilliantly lit career path. After moving to the United States at 22 years old, and working in other people’s kitchens for five years, in 2016 Marcel was able to purchase Fratelli’s Italian Restaurant and transform it into his own Peruvian oasis. Vizcarra officially opened Llama on September 24, 2016, at the fresh age of (you guessed it), 27! He made good on that promise to his adolescent self and now the Ancient City is reaping the benefits of Vizcarra’s passion, drive, and vision.

Credit: The St. Augustine Social

Llama Restaurant

About Chef Sebastian Sikora

Owner, Executive Chef: Dessert First Bistro

Sebastian, originally from Chicago and 1st generation Polish-American, has many, many years of experience in the culinary arts. He puts his passion for food into everything that he does. Sebastian began working in the industry for his parents, Vincent and Eva, at The Black Knight Deli, and since has worked in and managed kitchens all over St. Augustine and Ponte Vedra. One of his favorite quotes is by Chef Jaime Oliver, "Real food doesn't have ingredients, real food is ingredients." We hope that this message is translates into our menu.

More on Chef Sebastian Sikora

Dessert First Bistro

About Chef Kyle Forson

Culinary Program Instructor at First Coast Technical College

Forson and Chef Anthony Lowman are leading the culinary program that is working hand-in-hand with Nursery Management students to bring the increasingly popular concept of farm-to-table, a movement that promotes serving local food at restaurants and school cafeterias, preferably through direct acquisition from the producer.

“They have always worked together but not to this scale,” said FCTC’s principal, Chris Force. “In the past they would get the leftovers from the Agriscience program, but now it’s more intentional.”

Robert King, a lab assistant working in the Agriscience program, said they take the ideas that Forson has and try to grow things that are seen in high-end restaurants and not easily found in grocery stores. Instead of doing typical carrots, for example, FCTC students grow tri-color baby carrots which have a unique sweetness. During fall and winter months, the school will grow 60 varieties of vegetables along with succulents and peppers that are sold to local buyers.

“By having this resource, the students can actually see what the product would look like which helps on the culinary end when they are doing inspections,” said Charles Harper who oversees the culinary program.

Credit: The Saint Augustine Record
FCTC Culinary Program

About Chef Chip Richard

The list of delicious entrees on Cap’s menu requires the expertise of a skilled chef who takes pride in pleasing the many diners who frequent the popular restaurant. Chef Chip Richard is the young chef who prepares the menu. Originally from Northern New Jersey, Richard moved to the area in 1997, and began his culinary journey at an early age. “I started working in the industry when I was about fourteen at a place called Eddie’s down in Palm Valley, washing dishes and doing some prep cook stuff,” says Richard.

The ambitious chef eagerly learned and became one of the restaurant’s line cooks. Richard then pressed forward with his burgeoning career by attending culinary art school. His ambitions later took him far away from the beach and palms of St. Augustine. Richard says, “I traveled abroad a little bit. I stayed in Italy for a month and a half. I got to do a little cooking while I was there, too.” While traveling abroad, Chef Chip Richard studied and cooked in Germany, southern France, Holland, Switzerland, Nassau Bahamas and more.

In 2003, Richard was hired at Cap’s on the Water as a line cook, and he eventually became the head chef. Over the years, Richard has developed a close relationship with the restaurant’s owner, Bernard de Radd. Chef Richard comments, “He’s kind of like a benevolent uncle to me. He’s always taken care of me.” This relationship and mutual respect has allowed Richard opportunities to pursue other culinary ventures in restaurants such as The Blind Rabbit and others in the St. Augustine and Jacksonville area. For the last two years, Richard’s chef’s hat has hung solely at Cap’s, where his role as the head chef is an integral part of the restaurant’s atmosphere and overall dining experience.

Credit: The Saint Augustine Social

Caps on the Water