Morels

This rapidly growing, boutique-style resort has already achieved international acclaim, and it utilizes the full range of his culinary and management talents. He created the resort’s first on-site food operation out of a 1970s Forest Service fire kitchen with limited water and power and has now grown the dining operations at the resort to include Morels, which features gourmet dining, as well as Canoe Grill, Seven Devils Pub, and other operations. The resort is characterized by rustic luxury as are the innovative menus that Chef Kucy creates ranging from the daytime, upscale concessions to gourmet wine dinners. He also prepared and supervised all meals for President George Bush and the First Lady during their 2005 visit to Tamarack Resort both at Morels and in the private kitchen at the Bushes’ temporary residence at the resort.

Gary’s background includes inspiration from and experience with some renowned chefs in famous kitchens, and his culinary career had an illustrious start, having completed his formal, four-year apprenticeship at the prestigious, five-star, five-diamond Arizona Biltmore Resort in Phoenix, Arizona. He was then recruited away by Mark Miller for his famed Coyote Café in Santa Fe, New Mexico, known for its modern Southwestern cuisine. He spent nearly eight years working with Mark Miller opening new ventures, writing cookbooks, and promoting Southwestern cuisine worldwide, including cooking stints in Singapore, multiple regions of Mexico, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia, New York. After leaving the Coyote Cafe, Gary held the position of Executive Sous Chef with the fine-dining Snake River Grill in Jackson, Wyoming. He also worked with Mark Kiffin, who was named 2005 Best Chef of the Southwest by the James Beard Foundation, during the opening of his The Compound Restaurant in Santa Fe. He also has been an assistant to numerous other celebrity chefs, including Wolfgang Puck, Roy Yamaguchi, Alan Wong, Douglas Rodriguez, Todd English, Patricia Quintana, Michael Mina, Deborah Madison, Mark Militello, Ming Tsai, and Rick Bayless. Soon after moving to McCall, Idaho, Gary was recruited by Tamarack Resort.

Gary attended Westin Hotels and American Culinary Federation formal Apprenticeship program, graduated with top honors as Certified Cook, and received his Associates degree in Food Service Management from Phoenix College. His culinary education has been enhanced by numerous international culinary tours, including visits to more than 25 countries where he explored, tasted, and researched local cuisine. He has been a featured, award-winning contributor to National Turkey Foundation recipe contests—including their Innovative Menu Contest—and created an online cooking demo on their www.eatturkey.org Website. Gary’s wife, Stacey Kucy, is an accomplished Pastry Chef, whose pastry creations are sometimes featured at Tamarack Resort. Stacey is also the owner and operator of Stacey’s Cakes out of McCall, specializing in wedding cakes and special occasion desserts.

Most recently, Gary made his television debut as a featured chef on Lulu’s Cooking Show, airing throughout Mexico. Between hosting cooking classes and developing diverse menus for the resort’s growing foodservice operations, Gary Kucy is fast establishing himself as a notable and rising star in the culinary world, incorporating influences from all over the world to serve the resort’s homeowners and guests.