Marco Ofelio Garcia, executive chef of Ontario Convention Center -
photo by Dave Earhart
(ONTARIO, Calif.) Chef Marco Ofelio Garcia has been named the executive chef of the Ontario Convention Center.
His job is to change the way people think about convention center food. Under his leadership, the Ontario Convention Center’s restaurants and banquets will soon expand their fare, providing guests with a fine restaurant style dining experience.
“I create new food ideas,” Chef Garcia said. “I want people to know that if they come here, they will have a unique culinary experience in the style of the finest restaurants.”
“He brings a new wealth of culinary experience to the Ontario Convention Center,” said General Manager Bob Brown. “He has the ability to offer to the community, and to our clients, a dining experience like they have never had before. We are looking forward to some really great food.”
Garcia received his certification as a certified executive chef (CEC), at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. He also spent part of 2006 working while gaining tremendous experience as a chef in Barcelona and other regions in Spain.
His most recent prior experience is working as the senior executive chef at Angels Stadium of Anaheim. He was there from 1998-2009, dating back to when it was known as Edison Field.
At Angels’ Stadium he oversaw food preparation for three in-stadium restaurants and 83 skybox suites, as well as for special events at the stadium besides the Angels’ games.
During his time there, even the take-out menus broadly expanded from traditional stadium fare, and the sit-down restaurants now offer some of the finest dining in Anaheim.
Chef Garcia worked as, the concessionaire for Angels Stadium, starting in 1993. Before moving over to Angels’ Stadium, he was the sous chef at Arrowhead Pond, and the executive chef at Los Angeles Convention Center.
Prior to working in sports venues and convention centers, Chef Garcia worked as the executive chef at restaurants in San Francisco, Seattle and Chicago, and for Pinnacle Industries. He also worked at restaurants such as the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills, and the officers’ dining lounges at two military bases in southern California.
Chef Garcia grew up in San Francisco, where he first gained exposure to the Mexican, Asian, Southwest and Mediterranean cuisines that continue to influence his repertoire. He also broadens his influence by traveling to different cities, tasting the cuisine of each.
The Ontario Convention Center is a contemporary design building, encompassing 225,000 square feet of space that can be configured to meet a variety of convention and other meeting needs. All areas of the Ontario Convention Center contain advanced communications technology, including wireless Internet access and video conferencing.
For a tour or more information, call Amita Patel at (909) 937-3000 or toll-free at (800) 455-5755, email info@ontariocvb.com or go to www.ontariocc.com
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