CHEF MARK DOMMEN

“I love Salute Santé!’s light taste and versatility “ says Mark Dommen, executive chef/partner at One Market Restaurant in SF. “I make light vinaigrettes for salads; it’s great for poaching, searing or sautéing seafood and vegetables. It takes the heat and allows me to create crisp golden crusts. It enhances the delicate taste of what I’m preparing. I really like the fact that it’s healthy oil and that it’s made by a green company”.

Mark has been a loyal customer of Salute Santé!® Grapeseed Oil for thirteen years since he opened Julia’s Kitchen as the inaugural chef back in 2002. Utilizing it as a salad oil to a poaching oil, Mark has made his cuisine shine for all to enjoy. Moving to One Mark Restaurant has only increased Mark’s enjoyment of this versatile oil.

Since joining the Lark Creek Restaurant Group in 2004, Mark Dommen has upheld One Market’s traditions of excellence and innovation in American cuisine. While at One Market, he was named a 2007 StarChefs.com “Rising Star,” the restaurant received one star for the second year in a row in the 2009 Michelin Guide and a 3 ½ star review from San Francisco Chronicle critic Michael Bauer.

After years of classical training with some of the world’s culinary masters, Dommen’s move to One Market marked his exciting debut on the San Francisco dining scene. He says, “At One Market, Co-Founder Bradley Ogden and Group Chef Adrian Hoffman set the bar in creating sophisticated American fare and menus shaped by fresh-from-the-farm ingredients. I’m proud to continue their stellar reputation and to create my own interpretation of American dishes.”

Dommen’s seasonally changing menu includes inventive farm-fresh dishes such as Wild Nettle Ravioli with Rabbit Meatballs and Black Trumpet Mushrooms; Beet Carpaccio with Marinated Rock Shrimp, Radish Sprouts and Crispy Ginger; and Braised Beef Cheeks with Celery Root Risotto. “I truly enjoy experimenting with the freshest of ingredients to create entirely new and unexpected dishes,” says Chef Dommen. “I make a point each day to ensure that the menu is a reflection of the finest new materials prepared in a unique, delicious and artistic way.”

Dommen’s contemporary American fare developed through his work in some of the world’s most distinguished restaurants. Dommen began his career in the kitchen with Hubert Keller of San Francisco’s Fleur de Lys, where Keller became Dommen’s mentor in the art of contemporary French cuisine. Dommen later spent four years in New York, honing his craft with one of his largest influences, Gray Kunz at Lespinasse and also with David Burke at Park Avenue Café. By the time he opened Palladin as Sous Chef for the legendary Chef Jean-Louis Palladin, his immersion in the art of French cuisine was complete. He then was invited to join Julia’s Kitchen in Napa Valley as the opening Executive Chef. He describes his approach to cooking as “blending the freshest, seasonal ingredients from California while using the classic French techniques I have honed from my previous experiences.”

Some of Dommen’s favorite dishes to make when not in the kitchen at One Market Restaurant include pizza and barbequed beer-can chicken cooked over apple wood chips. He enjoys skiing, golf, fishing, grape growing and making wine in his spare time.

One Market Restaurant’s 1993 opening was eagerly anticipated by San Francisco’s sophisticated diners who were excited about Bradley Ogden’s return to the City. One Market was an instant hit. The restaurant features an open exhibition kitchen with a “Chef’s Table” in the kitchen, two private dining rooms, a luxurious bar (watched over by a fantastic James Stagg painting of the Marin Farmer’s Market commissioned for the restaurant). Add a top-notch staff and there’s little wonder why One Market has been packed from the first day.