Mark Bolchoz is an accomplished chef and restaurant operator currently based in his native Charleston, SC.  Through his widely varied background working in kitchens from Palm Beach to the Hudson Valley, Chef Mark has cultivated both his unique cooking style and demanding management approach, leading him to be named one of Zagat’s 30 Under 30 Charleston Chefs in 2016, and FSR Magazine’s 40 under 40 Rising Stars in 2024.

A native Charlestonian, Bolchoz spent his childhood surrounded by the cuisine and culture of the Lowcountry including countless hours in his uncle’s King Street pub and his grandfather’s Boston Whaler, shrimping and fishing the waters East of the Cooper.  He spent his teen years working in multiple country clubs and restaurants in the Palm Beach area, where he was encouraged to attend the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park by two mentoring alumni.  While at the CIA, Bolchoz traveled to Italy and also spent two years working under renowned New York Chef Gianni Scappin.  During this time, Bolchoz used his diverse experiences to shape his understanding and interpretation of traditional Italian and American-Italian cuisine.  Bolchoz returned to Charleston in 2016 with his wife, a fellow Culinary Institute of America graduate, and immersed himself in its flourishing hospitality scene, gaining additional experience at some of the city’s top restaurants, including The Grocery and Peninsula Grill.

As Chef de Cuisine of Peninsula Grill, Bolchoz spent a year under two of Charleston’s most revered chefs, Graham Dailey and Ramon Taimanglo, learning and honing his craft. Though he was thriving in a burgeoning culinary career, Bolchoz ultimately responded to a lifelong calling and took a one-year hiatus from the kitchen to join the United States Marine Corps, where he continues to serve as a Corporal in the Reserves.

In 2020, Bolchoz’s love of rustic and rural Italian cuisine led him to join Indigo Road Hospitality Group as Executive Chef of Indaco Charleston, and then as Culinary Director of Italian Concepts. Over four years at Indigo Road, he helped to open and lead five more Italian eateries, most recently Luminosa at The Flat Iron Hotel (Asheville) and Osteria Olio at Rivet House (Athens). Bolchoz developed and oversaw each concept’s culinary programming and collaborated with onsite teams to ensure the best ingredient-driven and locally sourced menus. 

When Bolchoz is not in the kitchen, you can find him teeing off at one of Charleston’s many golf courses, breaking a sweat on a run, or spending time with his wife, Ariana, and their two young sons, sampling the F&B scene across the Lowcountry and Southeast.