The Top Bay Area Chefs of Cavallo Point

Executive Chef Michael Garcia and his culinary team share a genuine passion for creating seasonal menus inspired by local ingredients. Learn more about Cavallo Point’s top Bay Area chefs.

Michael Garcia, Executive Chef

Michael Garcia is the executive chef of the award-winning Murray Circle at Cavallo Point, where he creates dishes that reinvent San Francisco’s multicultural flavors with a modern twist.

A San Francisco native, Chef Garcia spent several years working through the ranks of many legendary San Francisco hotels and restaurants, including Cliff House, Farallon, Stars by celebrity chef, Jeremiah Tower, and the Palace Hotel.

Over the span of his career, Chef Garcia’s accomplishments include writing a bestselling cookbook, A Toast to the Home Cook, and his positions as the executive chef and partner of SOCIALE in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights neighborhood. He was also the executive chef, manager, catering chef, and partner of TOAST Restaurants in Mill Valley, which he successfully opened in 2003 and helped build its impressive reputation as a fun neighborhood eatery serving creative, quality fare.

Jeff Chase, Director of Cavallo Point Cooking School

A San Francisco native, Chef Jeff Chase has been engaged in the Bay Area culinary scene for over 20 years, gaining a wide range of experience by working in both restaurants and catering kitchens, and as a private chef.

His vast resume include prestigious restaurants such as Café Sparrow in Aptos and Chef Loretta Keller’s seminal Bizou Restaurant in San Francisco. He later took on new challenges as an on-site manager for Taste Catering and Global Gourmet Catering, managing events across the Bay Area, Napa, and Sonoma, ranging from grand affairs for thousands of guests, to elegant and intimate occasions. Most recently, as part of the management team at Bon Appetit Management Company, he was instrumental in opening kitchens for Uber and Dolby headquarters and overseeing accounts such as Google, Apple, and Williams Sonoma.

Chef Jeff’s training has often focused on classic Mediterranean cuisine, but he has always had a passion for foods from around the world. Growing up on the West Coast, the cuisines of Mexico and Asia are a rite of passage, and through repeated travel to Mexico and Japan, he has further explored and honed his skills with respect to regional cuisines.

Candace Rowan, Pastry Chef

A Marin County native, born and raised in Mill Valley, Chef Candace Rowan lived in Nashville for many years before returning to the Bay Area to attend the California Culinary Academy. It was during an apprenticeship at Coyote Cafe in Santa Fe that she became enamored with pastry. Her work has been featured in San Francisco magazine, and her recipe for Key Lime Pie was published in one of the final issues of Gourmet.

While raising her sons, Michael and John, Candace worked in many high-profile San Francisco kitchens. “Each restaurant taught me about different cuisines,” she says. “At Buckeye Roadhouse and Wayfare Tavern, it was all about American food. At Town Hall, I learned a lot about Southern food, and at Kokkari I learned all about Greek desserts. During my time at A16, my work really reflected the seasons of the year. Now when I create a menu, I always look to the local produce of the Bay Area.”