Chef Todd Clore
Originally from Denver, Colorado Todd was born into a modest family. From the family roots came the love of food, from grandparents that were both bakers. The holiday celebrations always centered on food, and from this passion raised the desire to pursue it as a career.
At the age of 15 Todd joined a local restaurant as a busboy and soon was in the kitchen. It was a very traditional New Mexican Restaurant where the grandmother cooked, and instantly became Todd's mentor. Todd worked hard and always learned and within 7 months was now cooking, and within 2 years was running the entire operation.
During this time Todd's desire was growing and he enrolled concurrently in a vocational school, specializing in culinary arts, and in the evenings was working at a large volume family style restaurant. He grew and knew this was what he wanted to do. With encouragement from the faculty he enrolled in the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, in Hyde Park NY.
Following an externship at Denver's #1 rated restaurant Cafe Giovanni's he returned to graduate. After graduation he returned to Cafe Giovanni but not for long. He had gained a reputation and was approached to be the sous chef for a new restaurant in town called Cliff Young's. Instantly Cliff Young's was hailed as Denver's new #1 gourmet dining spot. This challenge lasted him 2 years and then off to California.
The first culinary stop was Napa Valley to work with acclaimed chef Philippe Jeanty at Domain Chandon restaurant and winery. It was a culinary Mecca. During the next year and a half he also experienced some other properties in the area such as Auberge du Soleil and Silverado Country Club.
In the fall of 1986 a phone call invited him to go to L.A. to take over the sous chef roll at Roy Yamaguchi's 385 North. For one year he gained a reputation and then wanted more.
It wasn't long before a cooking tryout at the highly acclaimed Mobil 5 star L'Orangerie restaurant that it yielded him an opportunity for a sous chef's position. At which point he was the only American in an all French Kitchen. For 2 1/2 years he performed with the daily pressures from the Hollywood elite, movie stars, foreign dignitaries, and the rich and powerful.
Newly married and wishing to be closer to his new family he moved south to Orange County, where he became chef for a new Chinese-French concept by Michael Kang called Five Feet Too. He opened the restaurant and then a knock on the door yielded a new opportunity, a new restaurant named Pascal. Pascal Olhats had a dream, one, which Todd shared and together they worked for the next 2 1/2 years realizing more success than either, could have imagined. It was here that Todd was first in Gourmet magazine as "Someone to Watch".
Todd's success was climbing and at the time a call came to take over the reigns at a much larger property Hotel Laguna in Laguna Beach and "to put this place on the map was the charge"
A remodel of the restaurant and change into an all seafood concept was so successful that with in a year a dying restaurant doing 20 covers nightly was now doing 150 nightly and upwards of 180 on the weekends.
Max Jacobson named Todd "the best seafood Chef in Orange County" and named his "Halibut teriyaki" one of his favorite dishes of the year.
In 1995 Todd was chosen for the Chef de Cuisine for the Sterling Brunch at Bally's Las Vegas. Almost instantly the brunch gained accolades. Las Vegas Life Magazine named the Sterling Brunch Best Brunch of 2002.Then came the National Media, the Travel Channel awarded Todd both "David Cassidy's Best of Las Vegas" Brunch, and "Best of the Best", Brunch with Muriel Stevens. The Zagat Survey named the Brunch 28/30 for Food in 2001, and then in 2002 27/30 with higher food ratings then restaurants like Rosemary's and Wild Sage Cafe. The Food Channel also named the Brunch "Top 5 Big Eats for Most Extravagant Brunch.Todd has appeared in many local cooking segments and has 2 episodes of "This ain't no Buffet" currently airing.
Todd was also only the 2nd chef to be interviewed and featured in the Review Journals Great Chef Series that started in 1995, only after Wolfgang Puck.
After meeting each challenge and building upon success the next logical step is to fulfill his lifelong dream of owning his own restaurant ..
The Restaurant Todd's Unique Dining was opened in May of 2004 and has been doing well since the opening.
Todd is an active member of The Henderson Chamber of Commerce,
The Chaine de Rotisseurs .The Order de Mondrial, Board Member of The Art Institute - Culinary Program and Member of the American Culinary Federation.
