Mark Stark, Executive Chef/Owner
Stark Reality Restaurants

James Beard Outstanding Restaurateur semifinalist Mark Stark is executive chef and co-owner with his wife Terri of five wildly successful restaurants in Sonoma County: Willi’s Wine Bar, Stark’s Steak & Seafood, Monti’s in Santa Rosa, Willi’s Seafood and Bravas Bar de Tapas in Healdsburg. They are putting the finishing touches on their sixth—Bird & The Bottle, a modern tavern in downtown Santa Rosa featuring Mark’s interpretation of American and Asian street food served up from the open kitchen’s wood-fired grill in the form of large and small plates to share. Mark is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park and honed his professional cooking skills in Washington DC and Seattle before settling in Sonoma County. Mark believes in starting with great ingredients, treating them with care, and adding an unexpected twist in preparation or presentation. From opening Willi’s Wine Bar in 2002 to Bravas in 2012, the Starks have consistently earned top accolades including San Francisco Chronicle Top 100 Bay Area Restaurant status for Willi’s Wine Bar and Bravas, one of Travel + Leisure’s “Top 20 Tapas Restaurants in the US,” and Michelin Bib Gourmand awards for Monti’s and Willi’s Wine Bar.

Mark Stark’s
Pickled Gulf Shrimp with Kimchee Mayo

From Bird & The Bottle

2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 teaspoon pickling spice
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup seasoned rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 red Fresno chili, sliced into ¼-inch rings
2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
8 each bay leaves
1 small leek, white part only, thinly sliced into rings
1/2 bulb of fennel, sliced

Bring 8 quarts of water to a boil with the Old Bay.
Add the shrimp and cook for two minutes over medium heat.
Drain and place in a bowl with ice water to stop the cooking.
Drain once again and place in pickling jars with the leeks, fennel and chilies.
Mix the lemon juice with the vinegar, salt, parsley, garlic and olive oil
Pour over the shrimp and refrigerate overnight.
Serve with crusty bread and Kimchee Mayo.

Kimchee Mayo
1 cup Best Foods mayo
1 cup kimchee
Drain the kimchee well then purée in a food processor Mix with the mayo and serve.

Stark Reality Restaurants
1055 4th Street, Santa Rosa, CA 95404
(707) 576-9610
www.starkrestaurants.com