MORE THAN A KITCHEN…
Luis Lagos
Executive Chef
Luis Lagos grew up in Mexico City and comes from a long history of cooking, where handwritten recipes have been passed on through generations for dishes that can take four days to prepare in traditional fashion. His memories are of spending hours in the kitchen with his mother, grandmother, and aunts at their dining room table set for 50 people. While working as a furniture designer in Mexico City, Luis realized cooking was his passion and he moved to Oaxaca where he began cooking for friends, turning his home into a restaurant. Every day he would go to the market and buy fresh fish, local vegetables and fruits to prepare a meal for whomever would show up. Sometimes his customers would sit for hours engaged in conversation and sipping wine while their meal was prepared for them in the traditional fashion. He was invited to cook with Oliver Lombard, one of best chefs living in Mexico City at the time. Later he took over the kitchen at Haramara retreat in Sayulita where he adapted his style to cook healthy meals as he met many visitors and admirers from Northern California. Eventually his supporters convinced him to move to Marin County and we are now lucky to have him here in San Francisco! You can be sure to find delicious ingredients on the menu when Luis is in the kitchen and you can be guaranteed your meal was made with thoughtful attention and love. Enjoy!
Maria Bendito
Culinary Marketing and Sales Manager
Maria discovered her passion for gastronomy at a very young age and since then has never stopped cooking and making people happy through food in many ways. She left a successful career of more than ten years in sales and marketing when moving from Madrid to the Bay Area, and it was here that she decided to make her “culinary dreams” come true. She owned “Spanish Bite,” a personal chef service for corporate and private events inspired in Spanish cuisine, and has collaborated with startups related to the food industry. Maria’s goal now is to go beyond what The Midway customers are looking for in their events and work with them on the “perfect menu”, while taking care of every detail for an unforgettable culinary experience.
Bertha Lopez
Sous Chef
Bertha discovered her passion for cooking when she was 10 years old and lived in a very small town (San Felipe Otlaltepec, Puebla-Mexico). Her parents had to go to work in the city and for being the eldest sister she was in charge of her brothers and sisters. One day they did not have anything apparently to eat, but when she looked in a wooden box where they kept dried goods, she found shrimp and chiles and when she looked through the window she saw the nopalera full of nopalitos. That is when she created her first gourmet dish with very little ingredients! Since then her life path brought her to San Francisco where she gained experience in the kitchen at Cafe Venue in 2003 and two years later at Cafe 55, where she is now owner. Thanks to the demands and high expectations of bosses and guests, she learned how to give that little extra to make food look and taste better. Bertha’s goal at The Midway is to continue creating new dishes with with all the love and the taste of Mexican food culture and take it to a higher level without forgetting her roots.
Chris Fry
Culinary Director
In 2004 Chris Fry left a perfectly great career in the technology sector to pursue his passion for food. What started out with hosting small dinner parties and helping cater underground supper clubs, burgeoned into an all out pursuit to highlight high quality ingredients and elevated service. C. Fry’s culinary chops were largely developed, tested and honed at Bi-Right Market, where he was GM of their flagship 18th Street store. From co-producing the San Francisco Street Food Festival, to programming an exciting line up of culinary shows, classes and events at The Midway, he is excited to help produce one-of-a-kind events and happenings.
Christopher Rossi
Executive Chef Emeritus
Chris Rossi started his career at a very early age managing parties for Paula LaDuc Catering. Since then he has cooked at vineyards, opened breweries, been trained on classical french cuisine, learned to make charcuterie, and helped develop and equip dozens of restaurants and food establishments. For ever a decade, he owned and was Executive Chef at Citron, the ground-breaking restaurant in Rockridge, CA and opened its sister restaurant A’Cote. In 2015, he moved his sights across the Bay to San Francisco and dove into the endless possibilities at The Midway. Chris is excited to collaborated with clients on menu creation and see to it that guests’ palates are overjoyed!