The Chef.
New York City’s own Chef. Christopher Montgomery, a South Bronx native now residing in Los Angeles, CA, specializes in local and seasonal ingredients. With these ingredients, he crafts French, American, Gourmet Southern and Modern cuisine with an urban twist. Fusing the flavor of the streets with the skill and prestige of the culinary world, Chef. Chris delivers a unique and personal experience with a diverse palette.
A graduate of the Art Institute of NY, he worked as a Sous Chef under the renowned Chef David Burke assisting with the opening and revamping of several David Burke Restaurants including Fishtail, David Burke Townhouse (Formally known as David Burke and Donetello), Fromagerie, David Burke Kitchen and David Burke at Bloomingdale’s. He continued his career path alongside Chef Patrick Vaccariello, as his Executive Sous Chef in revamping the culinary program at Tamarack Country Club, an elite members only club in Greenwich, CT.
In North Hollywood, Chef. Chris acted as the Consulting Chef for the opening of Black Bottom Southern Café, a gourmet southern cuisine restaurant, currently under a new name. Celebrities of all kinds patronized the café under Chef.’s tenure, including: Raphael Saadiq, Niecy Nash, Richard Roundtree, Chandra Wilson, Jesse Williams, Dawn Lewis, Jackee Harry, Nipsey Hussle, Martin Lawrence, Flex Alexander, Kenny Lattimore, among others. He was requested to specially prepare both on and off menu items for Lenny Kravitz, Denzel and Pauletta Washington on various occasions. Chef. was recently featured at the Stylist Suite, a Vogue Italia editorial, alongside celebrity stylist Germaine Hill, and has continued consulting on bi-coastal projects throughout Los Angeles and New York City while laying the foundations for owning his own restaurant in the near future. Although he enjoys consulting for other restaurants, it was time to focus on his own brand and develope his own concepts.
As fate would have it, during an upresedented time of a global pandemic, Chef. Chris is currently living out his dream of opening his very own restaurant, CEA-LO on the west coast. Chef. Chris opened a sister restaurant in Sherman Oaks, CA, to the family restaurant, where he began his journey, in The Bronx.