The Kitchen
Brad Farmerie, Executive Chef
Brad Farmerie grew up in Pittsburgh in a food-loving family. His mother, an avid home cook, exposed him to a variety of cuisines and insisted on home baked bread and vegetables straight from the family garden. Farmerie enrolled at Penn State, intent on completing a degree in mechanical engineering. Two years into his studies it became apparent that the cooking he did to pay his tuition was the real source of his collegiate contentment. Thus he took a year-long hiatus from studying the principles of physics to exploring first-hand the cuisines and wines of Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and the Antipodes.
This travel inspired Farmerie to follow his love for food to the U.K. and then earn his “Grand Diplome” at Le Cordon Bleu in 1996. He further rounded out his education and technique at acclaimed restaurants Coast, Chez Nico and Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons. Most influential to his own style was his experience working with Peter Gordon at the Sugar Club, and he went on to assist Gordon and Anna Hansen in opening the critically-acclaimed The Providores and Tapa Room in 1996.
In 2003, Farmerie moved back to the States to head up the kitchen of the first AvroKO-designed, owned and operated restaurant, PUBLIC, where his culinary magpie method takes cues from broad source material, looking to Asia, the Antipodes, and Europe for inspiration. The New York Times described this global approach as one that “swings for the fences with each and every dish,” and Michelin has awarded the restaurant a coveted star every year since 2009. 2006 saw the opening of The Monday Room, a 20-seat wine bar inside of PUBLIC; and in 2008, AvroKO Hospitality Group opened a gin den, Madam Geneva, which quickly became one of New York City’s most compelling drinking destinations.
In Fall of 2011, Farmerie focused his lens on traditional American grill fare to open Saxon + Parole with AvroKO Hospitality Group. The restaurant showcases domestic meat and seafood, as well as seasonal and sustainable produce, marked with Farmerie’s signature global twist in flavors and cooking methods.
Brad Farmerie has been featured across a wide range of international media platforms, including The Martha Stewart Show, the CBS Early Show, and NBC’s TODAY Show. He is also an acclaimed author, who has written for many publications such as Food Arts. Among his numerous awards and accolades, Farmerie was named a StarChefs “Rising Star Chef” in 2005; one of Food Arts’ “Emerging Tastemakers” in 2006; and has been touted as one of Global Magazine’s Top 50 “Chefs to Watch.”
MATT LAMBERT, HEAD CHEF
Born and raised in Auckland, New Zealand, Saxon + Parole chef de cuisine Matthew Lambert got his first taste for cooking as he helped his grandmother bake. The ball was set in motion at age 4, and by age 12, he had decided to one day become a chef. At 14, Lambert was ever-determined, but still too young to secure a cooking position, so the enterprising teen went to a restaurant owned by the esteemed restaurateur Garry Bates, taking a job washing dishes in order to get a foot in the kitchen door. His first apprenticeship came two years later, and Lambert’s ascent up the kitchen ladder has been rapid ever since.
After working in restaurants in Auckland and Wellington, learning the ropes of various stations, Lambert undertook a project few 21 year olds would even consider: along with his pastry chef mother, he opened his own café in Titahi Bay, Wellington. It was a crash course in restaurant business for the young chef, introducing him to every facet of the industry. Next, Lambert returned to Auckland to work at the respected Red, deepening his knowledge of Mediterranean cuisine, and The Grove, where he developed a passion for the fusion of classical techniques and Asian flavors. The Grove’s executive chef, Michael Meredith, impressed Lambert with his ability to stay current on what was going on elsewhere in the world, and it was with Meredith’s encouragement that Lambert went to the United States to expand his culinary horizons.
His first position was as sous chef for John’s Café in Woodbury, CT, where he was introduced to the challenges and delights of crafting seasonal menus (an eye-opener for someone from the temperate climate of New Zealand). Lambert immediately took to the surroundings, relishing the close involvement with local farms.
Soon New York City beckoned and Lambert landed a spot at PUBLIC, a restaurant with Kiwi connections and a highly regarded reputation back home. In addition to the cuisine, the pace and energy of a city restaurant was a natural fit for him, Lambert quickly excelled and climbed to a chef de cuisine position. In 2011, Brad Farmerie and AvroKO Hospitality Group tapped Lambert to open their new concept, Saxon + Parole, as chef de cuisine.
ROB ROHL, PASTRY CHEF
At Saxon + Parole, pastry chef Rob Rohl takes inspiration from the classic desserts of yesteryear, updating them with contemporary techniques and superior ingredients. The Brooklyn native and Alfred State graduate first worked with Saxon + Parole’s executive chef Brad Farmerie at PUBLIC restaurant in 2004 – which, along with Saxon + Parole, Madam Geneva and The Monday Room – is one of AvroKO Hospitality Group’s self-propelled projects. After launching his career with Chef Farmerie, Rohl went on to gain experience in other acclaimed kitchens, including The Modern, Otto and Picholine. In 2008, Rohl rejoined AvroKO Hospitality Group to work alongside Farmerie, before opening Saxon + Parole as pastry chef in September of 2011.
