Ivy Stark

Ivy Stark found her passion for food early on growing up in Boulder, Colorado, when she was first exposed to fine dining through her father, who worked in luxury hotel management. After earning her Bachelor’s Degree in History at The University of California, Los Angeles, she attended Peter Kump’s culinary school, now known as the Institute of Culinary Education, where she honed her culinary expertise in the professional studies program. Her first full-time position was at award-winning Border Grill in Los Angeles, where she worked with Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger. After two dedicated years with Border Grill, Stark moved to New York City to take a position as sous chef under chef Gary Robins at Match Uptown, which was followed by a position as sous chef under Andy D’Amico at The Sign of the Dove. Stark then joined the widely acclaimed Cena as executive sous chef, where she worked closely with revolutionary chef, Normal Laprise of Montreal’s Toque! As a result of her talent, mentors Milliken and Feniger offered Stark a coveted position as chef de cuisine at Ciudad in Los Angeles, where she was a key player in the opening of the pan-Latin hot spot, which received outstanding culinary reviews. Finding herself missing the bright lights of New York City after a few years at Ciudad, Stark returned to serve as executive chef at American-Asian restaurant, Match Uptown, followed by a stint as beverage director and sommelier at Brasserie 8 ½; she is currently a level one sommelier. She then returned to the culinary side with top positions at Zocalo, Rosa Mexicano, and the product-driven Mediterranean restaurant, Amalia, all in New York City. Stark was the executive chef of the highly popular Mexican restaurant, Dos Caminos in New York City, where she earned national recognition and ranked as one of New York’s top chefs. During her time there, she oversaw all of the locations and played a pivotal role in the brand’s expansion. It was there that she wrote her first book, “Dos Caminos Mexican Street Food: 120 Authentic Recipe to Make at Home,” which was published in 2011 and followed by Dos Caminos Tacos in 2014. She was nominated for the prestigious Golden Whisk Award by the Women Chefs and Restaurateurs in 2015. In 2019, Ivy took the giant leap of opening her own restaurants BKLYNwild serving vegan and vegetarian food, and Mexology serving fresh, creative Mexican food, both located in the vibrant, arts-centered DUMBO neighborhood in Brooklyn. Chef Stark is currently in the process of expanding her restaurants to Long Island City in Queens and the arts district in Miami. When she’s not in the kitchen, Stark devotes her time to various culinary boards and charities such as City Harvest, Meals on Wheels, and C-CAP. She has appeared on Today, Good Morning America among many national and local news shows, in addition to multiple appearances on Food Network as a judge on Beat Bobby Flay.