Who We Are

Steve Carey's career has been on the fast track from the moment he entered the hospitality industry, working with the well respected Seattle , WA based restaurant group, Restaurants Unlimited. Carey served as Executive Chef for Skate's On The Bay, advancing to the position of Senior Executive Chef for four other high profile properties in the group including Palomino, Ryan's Grill, Cutter's Grand Café, and Kincaid's Bayhouse. During this period, the restaurants generated in excess of $4 to $6 million annually in gross food sales.

In 1994, Carey advanced to Corporate Executive Chef position with Leeann Chin, Inc., a company that had in excess of $40 million in gross annual sales.

During his time with Leeann Chin's, Carey was part of the team that developed Asia Grille, one of the industry's first casual Asian cuisine concepts.

His work with Leeann Chin, Inc. equipped him with invaluable experience on the financial and administrative side of the restaurant industry, while still allowing him to enhance his recipe development and menu planning skills. Carey's career took a natural progression when he stepped in as Vice President of Menu Development and Operations for Café Odyssey, Inc. in 1997, where he was responsible for menu planning and strategy and played a key role in new store openings. In 1999, Carey made the move to the 133-unit On the Border Mexican Grill and Cantina, owned by Brinker International as the Director of Food Development. "Working with Brinker International allowed me to work on a much larger stage – to be part of the creative process as well as the ever expanding business management part of our industry. It was an incredible education," says Carey.

Carey's current projects include Paul Lee's Chinese Kitchen with Paul Fleming, Amazing Jake's Pizza with John Herman and a concept called Ritzy's Fresh American Diner. Steve Carey spent the last 2 years developing and improving Lemon Bar and Burger Girl.

Carey's career has taken him on a journey that even he could not have anticipated when he started out, including travel to the former Soviet Union when privatization was just beginning to emerge. In 1989, Carey was one of 12 culinary professionals selected to travel with the Seattle-based organization, Peace Table, to meet and work with their peers in the restaurant industry, which was just beginning to experience the challenges of free enterprise. Their Soviet Union counterparts also visited the United States, where the combined group created a memorable meal for their guests including the editor of The New York Times. "It was a life altering experience," notes Carey.