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 — first at Aureole, then to a stage across Europe: from the north of Germany to the south of France, most notably at Maison Troisgros in Roanne.

He returned to New York in 2000 as Chef de Partie at Sirio Maccioni’s Le Cirque in The Palace Hotel, then cooked under Laurent Gras at Peacock Alley in The Waldorf Astoria. He later became Chef Partner at Metrazur, Charlie Palmer’s restaurant on the balcony of Grand Central Terminal — his first room of his own.

As Executive Chef for the US Open he ran food service for nearly one million guests. He then served as New York Central Chef at the Grand Hyatt Hotel NYC. As Executive Chef of The Plaza Hotel he teamed with Chef Geoffrey Zakarian to revamp and run The Palm Court, The Champagne Bar, The Rose Club, and In-Room Dining.

Today he is executive chef at a private club, where he runs the food and beverage program as a business — and writes on the economics of professional kitchens, most recently in The Food Cost Formula.