Press Kit

As Executive Chef for Asilomar Conference Grounds, Chef Moody oversees the kitchen operations and a culinary staff of 27 who prepare an average of 1,600 meals per day for Asilomar’s corporate and leisure guests.

Prior to his tenure at Asilomar, Moody was the Sous Chef at Haig Point Country Club in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, where he learned classic Southern and Atlantic seafood cooking styles. He was also Chef and Co-Manager of the "Coast Cafe" in Big Sur, California, and apprenticed at the prestigious Highlands Inn's Pacific Edge restaurant. His culinary training includes posts at Chutney’s and Flaherty’s, both in Carmel, as well as The Greenhouse at the Farm in Santa Cruz.

Chef Moody is dedicated to following a progressive, environmentally sensitive approach to his menu development and has reached into the Monterey Bay area to foster relationships with local farmers and purveyors.  Among other community partnerships, Asilomar has partnered with Agriculture, Land Based Training Association Organics (ALBA), an organization that teaches low-income farmers the art of organic farming, resulting in a more profitable income for each grower.  This partnership has enabled Asilomar to offer meals with day-fresh, locally grown organic produce.  In addition, Asilomar has begun composting more than 200 pounds of produce waste per week, which is then picked up by the original grower. Asilomar also conforms to the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s “Seafood Watch” program. The goal of this program is to promote sustainably harvested choices (that don’t harm or impact the natural environment) for seafood, meats and produce.

Asilomar is becoming known as an exemplary leader of these “sustainable” food purchasing and production principles. In addition to taking an active role in educating Asilomar guests through written menu explanations and being quoted in news sources such as USA Today, Chef Moody and his team often are asked to participate in high profile regional culinary events. Events such as the “Great Taste of Pacific Grove,” “Carmel TomatoFest,” “Savor Monterey Culinary Cook-Off Competition,” and Monterey Bay Aquarium’s “Cooking for Solutions” are a wonderful showcase for Asilomar’s creative culinary talent and environmentally aware practices.

In 2002, Moody pioneered Asilomar’s program to donate excess food and food products to a number of local humanitarian groups including the Monterey Bay Area Salvation Army. To date, more than 5,580 meals have been donated and more than 3,800 pounds of food have been diverted from local landfills at an estimated cost of $9,054.

Chef Moody’s talents are widely recognized on the local professional culinary scene. In 2004, he was inducted as a member of the Board of Directors to the Monterey Bay Chapter of the American Culinary Federation. He currently serves as Vice President of the organization and Chairman of the ACF Conservation Committee – Organic and Sustainable Affairs.

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