About the Chef
Raised in St. Louis, Chef Tim McLaughlin knows the importance of bringing new styles of cuisine to his customers. He calls his food "Interactive Cuisine." In this he gets his guests involved with the origin, preparation and destination of his food. All his dishes have a unique purpose and story, which Tim holds near to his heart.
Chef Tim brings a fresh, passionate perspective to the culinary community. Crediting his love of cooking to his family, Tim would spend his summers on his grandparents' farm, growing a strong affinity for fresh and natural ingredients. This continued into his early adulthood where he worked as a cook at local St. Louis Restaurants.
In 2000, Tim enrolled in the Culinary Arts Program at Le Cordon Bleu, Scottsdale, where he graduated at the top of his class and honed his skills in the art of classical French cookery. While in Arizona, Tim enjoyed tremendous success as the Chef and Proprietor of Four Starving Students, a catering company that catered in home to Scottsdale's Elite.
Growing in his culinary prowess, Tim decided to return to St. Louis in late 2001. He accepted a job as the Sous Chef at David Slay's ZuZu's Petals, where he was quickly promoted to Executive Chef and then General Manager within a year. It was here that Tim began to create his own "Interactive Style Cuisine," with his famed Herb Garden in which herbs were picked directly from the garden, rinsed and placed on the customer's plate.
Moving on, Tim accepted a job at the Chase Park Plaza as a Chef in 2003. Primarily in control over the Cafe Eau, Tim worked alongside chefs David Gilbert and Stefan Jarausch to uphold three different dining styles under one roof. Here Tim was also involved with the Starlight Room, one of St. Louis's premier wedding and large event venues.
In 2004 Tim was recruited to join Red Moon as the Executive Sous Chef. He helped Red Moon grow into a very successful and award winning restaurant. After only eight months he was promoted to Executive Chef and then four months later to General Manager. As this position grew Tim was exposed to the twenty-six other restaurants under the Red Moon umbrella in Wisconsin, Missouri and Illinois, consulting on menu and product quality for each. Tim also grew the Red Moon offsite catering business into larger scale event planning business, holding numerous parties for up to 1,200 people.
Tim took the position of Chef De Cuisine at the Adam's Mark Hotel in Downtown St. Louis in 2006. He oversaw the production of five different outlets within the hotel. Nightly he could be found at the award winning four diamond Faust's Restaurant where he created classically prepared and minded dishes with new age designs. The Adam's Mark boasted the largest banquet space in the city, with over 22,000 square feet of banquet space and the home to St. Louis most dignified events.
In 2007 Tim was hired to open Jim Edmond's new restaurant venture, F15teen, in St. Louis' Downtown Loft District. It was a large new property with two stories of nightclubs, a 175 seat banquet facility and a 70 seat restaurant with additional patio space. As the opening Executive Chef he received powerful local and national press praising the food and concept, an Urban American Steakhouse, serving up traditional steakhouse fare with a health conscious and updated feel.
Moving to Dallas, in 2008, Tim accepted a position with Food, Friends and Company to begin as a consultant for Wapango Pan-Latin and then Concept Chef of Woodlands American Grill. He was brought on to revitalize a struggling concept and open the new restaurants. One month after his arrival a new menu was in place at their flagship store. Shortly after that Tim successfully opened their fourth restaurant in Allen Texas. During this time Chef Tim was also exposed to the other concepts in the company spanning eight states.
Moving forward Tim began to consult for other local Dallas eateries and then was thrust into the launch of Clean Plate Catering. As a personal chef caterer, Chef Tim can be found behind the stove, in front of the buffet or mingling with guests at exclusive in home and offsite venues, catering events that quench the appetites of all varieties and create smiles and memories for his customers.
Tim is also a Chef Instructor at Le Cordon Blue College of Culinary Arts in Dallas. He thoroughly enjoys teaching and sharing his knowledge with aspiring chefs and foodies alike. Often times, Chef Tim provides the entertainment at gatherings sharing food history, techniques, and stories as he cooks.
Chef Tim offers a completely unique dining experience that no one is soon to forget. Whether it is pouring a sauce tableside, sprinkling a house made spice or simply sharing a dish to create a conversation, Chef Tim truly strives to make every culinary journey a new and exciting one.
Achievements:
- Best New Steakhouse - Sauce Magazine 2008
- AAA Four Diamond Award - 2007
- Food Arts Magazine Restaurant Feature - December 2007
- Top Restaurants in America - Zagat Survey 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007
- Best New Restaurant 2006 - River Front Times
- Boston Globe Restaurant Feature - September 2006
- New York Times Restaurant Feature - August 2006
- Best Fusion 2005 - Sauce Magazine
- Nation's Top 100 Asian Restaurants 2005 - Food & Wine Magazine