Todd Winer, Executive Chef

Todd Winer comes from a humble food beginning. Perhaps that is why Todd is moved by the simplicity of briny west coast Kumomoto oysters and when he lays his eyes on a basket of plump rainbow colored heirloom tomatoes he finds inspiration. His passion for food started as a teenager. He had an unlikely beginning – growing up in a family with a vegetable phobic, meat and potato loving father, but with the drastic contrast between his diet at home and a part-time job in the kitchen of an Italian Bistro a most creative chef was emerging. Winer learned to appreciate and love the flavors, aromas and tastes that would be created in this small restaurant’s kitchen. With this experience behind him, Winer decided to study at the New England Culinary Institute to be schooled in the fundamentals of fine cooking. After graduation his real culinary training came when he took positions with renowned chefs including: Charlie Palmer, Bobby Flay, Nancy Oakes, and Todd English.

Over the past eight years Todd Winer has worked along side Todd English helping to build English’s restaurant empire nationally and internationally. Chef Winer’s tenure with English proved to be a life-changing experience. He worked in various roles within English’s Olive Group Restaurants. All the while developing his own sense of style. His stint at Olives Tokyo in Japan is where Winer started to take a special interest in beef, he learned to recognize and prepare the highest grades of beef, a skill that would prove later to be instrumental in his decision to join The Metropolitan Club.

After his time in Tokyo, Todd was named the executive chef for Kingfish Hall in Boston where his experience in Japan brought a new level of technique and presentation to this New England seafood concept. He focused his creative and technical skills and was instrumental in the restaurant’s success, developing innovative menu ideas and streamlining the kitchen’s operations. It was in this position that Winer began to receive the recognition that he truly deserved. He was invited to participate in many of the restaurant industry’s prestigious events like the International Food Festival in Bangkok, numerous Food & Wine magazine events, James Beard House dinners, and Spinazzola Dinners.

As a new member of The Metropolitan Club family, Winer brings a remarkable variety of influences and styles to his new role as executive chef. Winer believes that his taste for full-bodied flavors and eye-appealing arrangements comes from his adventures. “Some of my best ideas have come from my constant search for something new that will complete the puzzle. I search for old cookbooks; I draw inspiration from artwork and replicate the innovation of the design. I always knew I was artistic but it wasn’t until I tried food as my medium that I knew I found my niche.” As Todd develops his own menus and creates signature dishes at The Metropolitan Club one can clearly see the imprint of his culinary journey on the plate. There in the food lies a unique combination of a young progressive chef with the fearlessness to experiment yet grounded by traditional techniques. His food although classic is infused by his sophisticated well traveled palate in which one uncovers hints of the exotic. He is a perfect fit with The Metropolitan Club by joining owner Kathy Sidell Trustman to continue to discover and develop the new American classics and help the much anticipated growth of The Metropolitan Club.