Cooking With: Lucy's Chef Mark Farrell

Babylon Village is reknowned for its restaurant row and the many appealing eateries. But oftentimes diners have no idea about the culinary experts running the operation or managing the kitchen. So every now and then Patch will interview a local chef to get the inside scoop.

This week it's Mark Farrell, chef and owner of Lucy's Bistro.

How long have you worked as a chef?
“I’ve worked as a chef continuously for the past 15 years since ’96.  I took over Lucy’s Bistro on November 1, 2009.”

Who was your best teacher along the way?
“Bradford Heap. He’s the chef at Chautauqua Dining Hall in Boulder, Colorado. He was a classically trained chef in France. He instilled all the basic skills, those true French culinary techniques, in me… which are the pretty much the basis of anything you do in the kitchen.”

What made you want to cook for a living?
“Since I was a kid, I’ve always enjoyed food.  My parents took me to eat out a lot as a child. I always enjoyed restaurants and food and thought it’d be a direction I would want to go.”

What kind of cuisine do you serve at Lucy’s Bistro?
“New American Cuisine…real French-backed cooking with American ingredients.”

What is your signature dish there?
“I would say the Foie Gras.”  (Fried quail egg, toasted brioche, and tomato relish.)

What are some of your favorite places that you’ve worked?
“With Chef Gordon Ramsay at The London in Manhattan, Brother’s Restaurant Mattey’s Tavern in Los Olivos, CA and Chautauqua Dining Hall in Boulder, Colorado.”

What are your hopes for the future?
“Just to continue what we’re doing at Lucy’s and hopefully grow and become bigger.”