About
From East Hampton to the Plaza
Raised in East Hampton and trained at the Culinary Institute of America, Michael Lockard began under Chef Gerry Hayden at East Hampton Point, where he met the mentor who shaped the next decade of his career: Charlie Palmer.
Palmer opened doors at Aureole and Metrazur, then abroad — Restaurant Troisgros in Roanne, and kitchens throughout France and Germany.
He returned to New York in 2000 as Chef de Partie at Sirio Maccioni’s Le Cirque, then studied under Laurent Gras at Peacock Alley.
As Executive Chef for the US Open he ran food service for nearly one million guests, and as Executive Chef of The Plaza Hotel he oversaw The Palm Court, The Champagne Bar, The Rose Club, and In-Room Dining.
In 2014 he worked with Geoffrey Zakarian to reimagine The Palm Court.
Today he runs the kitchen at a private club in Westchester County and writes on the economics of professional kitchens — most recently in The Food Cost Formula.
On the record
“Mike’s an extremely talented guy. I love the surge of flavors in his food.”
Charlie Palmer
“Michael has a calm and steadfast approach to running a kitchen that results in flavorful, well-executed cuisine.”
Geoffrey Zakarian
“Michael Lockard is the consummate professional. As a consultant his approach is global — he evaluates the entire production system and then proceeds to suggest solutions that fix not just what is broken but the cause of the break. He understands food and more importantly he understands the people who produce it and what makes them tick. If you need someone to help you with issues in a hospitality environment Michael Lockard is the person to call.”
Paul Neuman · President, Neuman’s Kitchen
The Ironman of food service.
Men’s Health, Today, Bloomberg, Newsday, NY Post, Grub Street, HuffPost, Martha Stewart, and more — US Open years, by the numbers.
Full press index