Born, bred, and still living at the foot of Mount Diablo, Stewart is the original farm-to-table chef without even knowing it. As a youth in Contra Costa County, he worked with farmers in Brentwood and surrounding areas to ensure that local food banks had fresh fruits and vegetables that otherwise would go to waste. In high school, he cut his teeth at the Oakville Grocery, learning about high-end wines and cheeses and about cooking.
While attending the University of San Diego, Stewart learned all aspects of the restaurant business at the California Café both in Walnut Creek and San Diego. At Bridges in Danville, he started in the pantry and moved up to lead line cook. Preferring to behind the kitchen to being behind a desk he enrolled in the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. Upon graduation in 2001 Stewart moved to Auckland, New Zealand to apprentice at Cin Cin on Quay and Kermadec Restaurant.
In 2002 Stewart started as a line cook at Postino and quickly was promoted to sous chef. Assuming the chef de cuisine position in 2006 he took over the day to day operation of the kitchen, creating and rekindling relationships with purveyors and local farmers. Taking the helm as executive chef in 2010 Stewart continues to create seasonal dishes using fresh local produce and artisanal products. In the tradition of Postino‘s rustic Cal-Ital fare he allows those ingredients to shine in a sustainable atmosphere.
Biography
Born, bred, and still living at the foot of Mount Diablo, Stewart is the original farm-to-table chef without even knowing it. As a youth in Contra Costa County, he worked with farmers in Brentwood and surrounding areas to ensure that local food banks had fresh fruits and vegetables that otherwise would go to waste. In high school, he cut his teeth at the Oakville Grocery, learning about high-end wines and cheeses and about cooking.
While attending the University of San Diego, Stewart learned all aspects of the restaurant business at the California Café both in Walnut Creek and San Diego. At Bridges in Danville, he started in the pantry and moved up to lead line cook. Preferring to behind the kitchen to being behind a desk he enrolled in the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. Upon graduation in 2001 Stewart moved to Auckland, New Zealand to apprentice at Cin Cin on Quay and Kermadec Restaurant.
In 2002 Stewart started as a line cook at Postino and quickly was promoted to sous chef. Assuming the chef de cuisine position in 2006 he took over the day to day operation of the kitchen, creating and rekindling relationships with purveyors and local farmers. Taking the helm as executive chef in 2010 Stewart continues to create seasonal dishes using fresh local produce and artisanal products. In the tradition of Postino‘s rustic Cal-Ital fare he allows those ingredients to shine in a sustainable atmosphere.