Born in Traverse City, MI, Bradley Ogden ’77 came to national attention in his first position at Kansas City’s The American Restaurant after graduating “Most Likely to Succeed” from the Culinary Institute of America. He continued to garner acclaim as executive chef at San Francisco’s Campton Place Hotel before opening his first restaurant, The Lark Creek Inn, in 1989.
As chef and co-owner of the eight restaurants of the Lark Creek Restaurant Group, Ogden earned the reputation for being one of the country’s most prolific and successful restaurateurs. His signature farm-to-table cuisine has continued to anchor his continually expanding restaurant empire.
In 1993, he was named Best Chef in California by the James Beard foundation, which later awarded his namesake property in Las Vegas Best New Restaurant. The Bradley Ogden restaurant was also recognized as “Best of the Best” by Robb Report, and he was awarded Restaurateur of the Year by the Nevada Restaurant Association in 2010.
Among his other numerous awards and honors, CIA named Ogden Chef of the Year in 2000, and he has received the International Food Service Manufacturers Association Silver Plate Award for the Independent Restaurant category.
He is the author of two cookbooks: Bradley Ogden’s Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner (1991), which won the prestigious IACP award, and Holiday Dinners with Bradley Ogden (2011).
Chef Bradley Ogden majored in Culinary Arts at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. He is a member of the inaugural class of CIA’s Alumni Hall of Fame.