About us

About Us

A Sizzling Start

Housed in the historic city’s first firehouse built in 1910, we opened our doors in 1995. Through the years we’ve gone on to win numerous national and regional awards for excellence (from the likes of Wine Spectator, Esquire, Wine Enthusiast, and the American Culinary Federation). Most notably Montrio has been voted “Best Restaurant in Monterey County” for 10 years and designated a Sustainable Seafood Watch Ambassador.

Our team has embraced sustainable and environmentally-sensitive practices in every way:

  • Near-zero waste operations
  • Full recycling and composting
  • Renewable energy credits
  • In-house reusables
  • Over 40% of the food served is organic

Our pet-friendly outdoor patio is the perfect spot for summer dining (and people watching.)

Kurt Bouchar

Executive Chef

Born and raised in Woonsocket R.I., Chef Kurt Boucher began his career in food service at a young age working for a French bistro in the heart of Woonsocket R.I. As his love of food, technique, and business grew into a passion, Kurt began to travel the country to learn about different cuisines directly from the source.

With a B.A in Applied Food Science from Johnson & Wales University B.A he has worked his way through the ranks. Gaining national recognition working with clientele ranging from celebrities to dignitaries around the world, such as Al Gore, Henry Kinsinger and an extensive list of celebrities. Of note, Chef Kurt has led the helm as Executive Chef of the famed Pinecreek Cookhouse in Aspen Colorado. His national recognition earned a spot on Iron Chef America cooking against Bobby Flay on The Food Network. He has cooked alongside other culinary legends such as; Neil Perry, Emeril Lagasse and Jeans George Vongerchten. He has participated in Aspen Food & Wine Classic for 7 years as well as Meals on Wheels Celebrity Chef Brunch for 5 years. Taking the opportunity to hone his skills as a leader and expand his business acumen, Chef Kurt owned several businesses, from restaurants to grocery, where he focused on bringing great food and service to many communities.

Fine cuisine remains a strong passion of Kurt and his cooking style is based on the philosophy of using the freshest ingredients, as local as possible, trained in classical French with Asian influences. His love of California, the ocean, and people brought him here to his most recent role as the Executive Chef at Montrio in Monterey where he plans to refine his passion for farm to fresh scratch cooking and continue to build upon the Michelin recognized Montrio Restaurant.

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