‘I always look to be inspired by the beauty of organically and sustainably farmed ingredients, like we do at our own restaurant vegetable and herb garden”

When I was a kid I used to help my mother picking herbs, fruits and vegetables from our garden at home. I watched her transforming the ingredients in simple, but tasty dishes. Somehow she understood to celebrate the flavor and texture of the ingredients without compromising a delicious evening meal. I started her helping cooking and at age 14 I took the opportunity to work at a local Italia deli and fell in love with the creativity, high energy and the technical aspects of preparing the perfect flavor combination, texture and temperature and most of all the compliments of guests enjoying what you had worked on, sometimes for days.

In my last position as Executive Chef at Barcelona Wine Bar in Boston, where I has started 6 years prior as Sous-Chef, I learned how important it is to build a cohesive team sharing your passion and vision. It gives me a lot of joy to coach and mentor my team, so we all can get better and grow. It gives me a lot of satisfaction to leave a meaningful mark.

For that reason I chose to make a change and with the opportunity given at Camden Harbour Inn, it was impossible to refuse the opportunity to work in a state I love so much, with access to some of the best seafood, foresters and farms. To balance my career with an active lifestyle and be inspired by the seasons, the close access to nature not important being part of some of the best restaurants in the world within Relais & Chateaux.

Chef Jose Ochoa studied at the French Culinary Institute in New York and before his 6 year tenure at Barcelona Wine Bar, a nationally acclaimed Spanish restaurant group, Chef Ochoa also worked at X20, Xavier on the Hudson.