Since completing his culinary arts degree at The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College, chef Alex Garfinkel has traveled far and wide, undergoing a journey of gastronomical discovery alongside elite chefs on two continents. Alex opened his career at the pinnacle of French cuisine in Philadelphia, receiving a Francophile influence that would stick with him from his time at the acclaimed Le Bec F
in and Lacroix. He further honed his talents at Morimoto and Amada, where he learned food preparation and presentation in the distinct styles of two Iron Chefs. But it was the year Alex spent in Spain studying under Chef Andoni Luis Aduriz at Mugaritz – the third-best restaurant in the world – that truly inflamed his passion for manipulating food at the molecular level. Aduriz's "techno-emotional" approach to cuisine struck a chord with the young chef, who brings his own unique perspective to the complex intersection of science, cuisine and emotion. Since returning to the States, Alex has continued to grow his culinary aptitude, interpreting sophistication of modern haute cuisine through his own source-conscious lens. In 2012, Alex worked alongside Chef Hari Cameron to open and grow a(Muse.) He served as sous chef while cooking in the style of Hari's modern take on Mid-Atlantic cuisine. It was there that Alex truly took to heart the values of locality, sustainability and seasonality, as the a(Muse.) staff worked alongside more than a dozen local farms and foraged unique edibles from the Delaware wilderness.