CHRIS SIVERSEN – Executive Chef-Owner

There’s a reason that Chris Siversen cooks in an open kitchen at Maritime Parc, in full view of his guests.

“This restaurant is very personal to me,” says the soft-spoken chef, who discovered this spectacular space himself in fall 2009. “I didn’t want to hide behind a wall.”

Siversen’s menu is as refreshingly straightforward as that statement, a beguiling blend of classic combinations and techniques imbued with just enough personality to add interest and vitality. He freely admits that he’s “not trying to break culinary boundaries,” a polite way of distinguishing his approach from the sometimes self-indulgent tendencies of the modern celebrity chef.

Siversen’s philosophy is a perfect fit with Maritime Parc’s timeless coastal setting and modern design sensibility. His menu brims with dishes that feel familiar and accessible, but surprise and delight with bold flavors. One of his signature Maritime Parc offerings is Seafood Bourride with Garlic Aioli and Sourdough Toast which showcases world-class fish sauced with a combination of aioli (garlic mayonnaise) and fish stock. It demands expert technique, but there’s no ego in the bowl, which is presented with minimal garnish, letting the ingredients and the integrity of the kitchen speak for themselves. “It’s my kind of thing,” says Siversen.

Siversen’s Maritime Parc menu represents the ultimate summation of his life and career to date. The restaurant’s setting, flanked by the Liberty Landing Marina, feels like home to Siversen, who grew up in Merrick, Long Island, in a family obsessed with boats, and with the restaurant trade (his father openly fantasized about opening an eatery). “I’ve always been drawn to the water,” he says. “It has a calming effect.” Maybe that’s why his first kitchen job was at a fish house in his hometown.

After discovering his calling, Siversen studied at the French Culinary Institute in New York City, then cooked at such landmark restaurants as Alison on Dominick Street and the ‘21’ Club, and ran the kitchen at Pamela Morgan’s Flavors. Most recently, he spent almost ten years creating and overseeing menus for the Glazier Group’s successful catering businesses such as Twenty Four Fifth and Bridgewaters in Manhattan, and the Westminster Hotel in Livingston, New Jersey—the perfect preparation for creating customized menus for Maritime Parc’s private event spaces. Along the way, Siversen has cooked for Martha Stewart and Steven Spielberg; for the runway shows of Versace, Armani, Chanel, and Marc Jacobs; and for Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

Chefs are famously intense individuals, and Siversen is no exception. But Maritime Parc is such a labor of love for him that guests can’t help but notice that, between conveying orders to his team in that open kitchen, and putting the finishing touches on a constant array of dishes, this chef is doing something you don’t often see at the height of a lunch or dinner service: Smiling.