At House of Gab TV, we bring you the Makers and Visionaries that move South Florida lifestyle.
When Farmer’s Table opened in South Florida, the restaurant defied the odds at the time of bringing a healthy dining experience to the masses done in an elevated fashion. No one would have thought it would be possible to create a neighborhood establishment that would popularize healthy eating without alienating meat eaters but Farmer’s Table suceeded in doing juts that. At HOGTV, we are always awestruck at just how educated and knowledgeable the servers and staff are at Farmer’s Table and that leadership comes from the top in Culinary Director Michael Schenk.
With over 36 years of experience, Chef Michael Schenk has overseen the culinary staff at Farmer’s Table since 2017 and is responsible for devising restaurant menus that incorporate healthy ingredients using techniques he has perfected in Michelin-starred kitchens, while including a variety of options fitting alternative diets and lifestyles.
Michael’s career began in Germany, where he honed his craft as Demi Chef Tournant and Chef de Cuisine in Michelin-starred establishments, Feinkost Käfer and Hotel Königshof. After earning his Culinary Chef’s Master’s Degree in Germany, Schenk served as Chef de Cuisine/Executive Chef at the five-star luxury Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich.
In 1996, Michael left Germany to broaden his culinary talents in the United States, taking on New York City’s vibrant and demanding palates with the opening of Commonwealth Brewing Company as Executive Chef where he was featured on The Food Network’s Football Sunday Treats segment. As the Executive Chef at New York’s iconic Tavern on the Green, Schenk had the honor of preparing the traditional Pasta Feast for the prestigious New York Marathon. Continuing his tenure in New York, he worked alongside Rick Moonen at the well-known Oceana as the Chef de Cuisine for four years where they specialized in sustainable seafood and seasonal ingredients using local fish.
In 2002, Schenk was tapped as Executive Chef at Wykagyl Country Club in New Rochelle, New York. He went on to run Fresh Meadow Country Club in Great Neck, New York, as Executive Chef for nine years. In 2012, he headed south where he led the culinary division at the Polo Club of Boca Raton as the Executive Chef, overseeing five different restaurants with nearly 100 employees. He went on to Wycliffe Golf & Country Club in Wellington, where he used ingredients from the club’s private gardens and implemented conscious cooking in order to please various dietary preferences and restrictions including clean eating, vegan, gluten-free, vegetarian, low sodium and low fat.
Chef Michael currently lives in Delray Beach with his wife Pia and his two daughters. When he’s not busy devising unique dishes for the Farmer’s Table menu, or reading up on the latest culinary trends and techniques, he enjoys playing tennis or skiing whenever he can make it to snowy mountaintops reminiscent of his childhood near the Alps Mountains.
For more information or to make a reservations, visit www.dinefarmerstable.com
