A Boston native, Executive Chef/owner Steve LaCount began his career in the restaurant business at the age of fourteen at The Country Club in Brookline, MA. Steve worked there under six talented chefs, gaining knowledge in Italian and French cooking techniques before becoming the youngest person appointed to that position in 1983. He held this coveted position for over twenty years until deciding with Michelle, his wife to open Chiara. Steve was also an adjunct professor at Boston University’s School of Hospitality Management, and did private consultations for restaurants and recipe development for food companies.

In addition to his training in European cooking at the club, Steve continued studies of his craft abroad with work study programs in France, Italy and Switzerland. A graduate of Boston Latin School, Steve also pursued a business degree from Bentley College while working at the club, graduating with honors.

Steve constantly focused on continuing education, enrolling in many classes and seminars related to the study of food and wine. He joined the American Culinary Federation’s (ACF) local chapters the Mass. Chefs de Cuisine and the Epicurean Club of Boston, where he became involved as a member of the Board of Directors for both chapters. As an ACF member, Steve studied for and received his designations of CEC (Certified Executive Chef) and AAC (American Academy of Chefs – the ACF’s honor society), was invited to become a member of Les Amis d’Escoffier Society, and began to accumulate medals at culinary competitions. He was elected the last chapter President of The Mass. Chefs and was elected President of the Epicurean Club of Boston after the merger of the two chapters. As President of this revitalized professional chefs’ organization, Steve formed a merger with a third chapter – the ACF Greater Boston Chefs, to form one of the nation’s largest and most active chapters of the ACF. He received Chef of the Year awards from both the Mass Chefs and the Epicurean Club in 1994 and 1999 respectively, and also received a chapter President’s Medallion from the Epicurean Club of Boston.

Under Steve’s leadership, the Epicurean Club focused on programs that benefited the continuing education of chefs, established a junior members’ culinary competition team that medaled annually, provided thousands of dollars for culinary scholarships, and established an annual golf tournament that yielded substantial profits toward children’s charities. During his terms, the chapter received two ACF’s Gold Plate Chapter Awards and the National Chapter of the Year Award in 2000. Steve was also recognized nationally for his efforts at the 2000 ACF convention with a National President’s Medallion. He has also been a nominee for regional Chef of the Year and for the Chef’s Professionalism Award.

Steve and Michelle reside in Foxboro, MA, and have two daughters Kristen and Patricia, both graduates of Johnson & Wales University. Kristen is the Assistant General Manager at The Country Club. She and her husband are the proud parents of a son and a daughter. Patricia assisted in the opening of Chiara in December of 2005 as the Director of Beverage and Assistant Restaurant Manager. She and her husband Mark live in Manley, Australia with their son.

Contact: Steve@chiarabistro.com

Patrick was raised in North Carolina and Sarasota Florida. He began cooking at the age of 16 encouraged by Chef Trey Place. With Chef Trey, he was taught most of the fundamentals of the restaurant business and plenty about life inside and outside of the professional kitchen. Patrick is a graduate of Johnson and Wales University, Providence, Rhode Island where he majored in the Culinary Arts. Patrick is an avid reader and gets inspiration from the old Masters’ cookbooks because he believes they were the first, and most people spin off their successes and failures. Before coming to Chiara, Patrick worked in Florida and Massachusetts some of the restaurants he has worked at include Bern Steak House, the Red Pheasant, Summer House in Nantucket and Grove Park Inn. Patrick’s style of leadership includes his love of teaching and constantly learning from the team that he works with. Patrick believes that he could not produce or execute any day without the people who he has grown and bonded with over his years in the culinary profession. Patrick’s culinary goal is to produce an excellent dining experience for the regular guests as well as the new guests that come to Chiara. Patrick lives in Easton, Massachusetts and enjoys golf, skiing, poker, collecting and auctions.

Contact: Patrick@chiarabistro.com

Jeff started in the restaurant business at the young age of 19. He began his culinary journey at Keiser University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. After studying and receiving his degree in the Culinary Arts, Jeff lived in South Carolina. He learned about the Southern culture and styles of food in Charleston where he worked at the Hominy Grill which specializes in classic Southern cuisine including Fried Chicken, Shrimp & Grits and yes, Biscuits & Gravy. He then went to the Charleston Grill also in Charleston, South Carolina. This fine dining, white table cloth restaurant lead Jeff back to Massachusetts where he worked at a nearby local country club until Chiara was lucky enough to hire him in 2015.
Jeff spends his free time reading and learning about different food trends around the world. He enjoys sharing his culinary ideas with his friends and family, especially his Dad who has encouraged and inspired Jeff from the beginning.
He also likes to relax playing with his daughter and taking fishing trips when he has time off.

Contact: Jeff@chiarabistro.com

Michelle is Co-Owner of Chiara and Chef LaCount’s wife. Michelle has been in the restaurant business for over 25 years. She has held various positions in the food service industry. She started her career at a local wine and liquor distributor in their customer service division. She then moved into the foodservice side of the business working as the Executive Assistant for the CEO of a restaurant company that grew from five to nine locations during her tenure. Then she went on to a large B & I company where she was the Assistant Vice President of the Northeast region. Before coming to Chiara on permanently, she was the Marketing director for two food brokerage companies in New England. Michelle currently holds the position of Restaurant Manager at Chiara. Michelle is a past board member of the of Les Dames d’Escoffier Society and does volunteer work for various charities and contributes to the daily operations of Chiara both in the executive offices and in the dining room.

Contact: Michelle@chiarabistro.com

Born in Brighton and raised in Waltham it was quality time spent with grandma that brought Gaby into the kitchen and sparked an interest in hospitality. A Newbury College graduate, Gaby has stayed local enjoying the history and charm of Massachusetts, not to mention the variety of cuisines in and around Boston! Completing internships with Historic New England & Chiara Bistro, working at the Charles River Country Club and the Babson Executive Conference Center has exposed her to many different people, cultures and facets of hospitality and customer service. When not at the restaurant Gaby enjoys tending to her vegetable garden with the help of her dog Chewy. A fan of farm to table dining Gaby hopes to continue expanding the garden and to keep learning about and tasting delicious foods.

Contact: gabriela@chiarabistro.com