Seth A. Fiertl C.E.C
Finn & Porter, Missoula, MT

Jersey City, New Jersey has many claims to fame: beautiful turnpikes, home of the HBO series 'Sopranos' and the Olympic Equestrian Team, and birth place of Certified Executive Chef, Seth Fiertl.

While attending engineering school, Fiertl took a job in a restaurant as a way to pay the bills and fill his stomach. Fortunately for us, the kitchen took and engineering fell by the way side. Fiertl's first break cooking professionally came at the age of 22 when he took a job at the Four Seasons in Manhattan, NY. Here, Fiertl worked under four Executive Chefs who would mold his future. Fiertl followed one of these Chefs to his own endeavor, Cafe Panache.

After Cafe Panache, Fiertl operated his own catering business, servicing such events as the Breeders Cup. Being at the helm of his own enterprise whetted his whistle to open his own restaurant, Tastings, located just outside New York City. For five years, Fiertl appeased the critics with a progressive French-Thai menu which received high accolades from Gourmet Magazine, the Zagat Guide and was featured in the New York Times twice as a 'Times Favorite'.

Fifteen years in New York City proved enough for Fiertl, so in 1998, he packed his bags and headed to a noticeably quieter city, Salt Lake City, UT. For three years, Fiertl turned heads in the Salt Lake food scene while at the Capital Cafe, offering a Contemporary American menu in a 'chancier format'. His avant garde approach to plate presentation earned Fiertl another expose in Gourmet Magazine.

From Salt Lake City, Fiertl once again moved west, this time to Saratoga, California to help reopen Le Mouton Noir after a devastating fire. Fiertl progressed the menu from a classical French menu to a more contemporary French menu.

A rolling stone gathers no moss, nor does an ambitious Chef looking for varying experiences. After Le Mouton Noir, Fiertl moved to Mammoth, California to perfect his snowboarding abilities and to dry age beef at Igors. Fiertl's steaks and wild game specials earned him yet another magazine expose, this time as the 'Best Restaurant in Mammoth' according to Malibu Monthly.

Fiertl joined the Missoula Finn & Porter team in mid April and lead his kitchen staff through a record weekend a few weeks later. His nightly features are creative and enticing while in print and inspire and astonish once they arrive at the table.

Fiertl credits his passion for his work as his 'driving force'. He finds creative freedom in the artistic approach to food and seeks outside inspiration in art and history museums, citing 'if you understand where you came from, you know where you are going.' While in art museums, he sees other people inspirations and passions and feeds off of their visions.

When asked what his favorite kitchen utensil is, Fiertl lays claim to his fish spatula, 'I have a lot of knives, but only one spatula.'