CHEF DAVID HUGO

I believe that the Grand Thymes in life are with friends, family, and food.

Raised on a farm in Vermont, Executive Chef David Hugo has a simple philosophy: great soil yields a great menu. A Best Chef America and James Beard member and collaborator, David helped pioneer the farm-to-table movement in Vermont at Shelburne Farms and as Executive Chef/Owner of the Starry Night Café with his strictly seasonal style. David was voted Vermont “Chef of the Year” in 2014 for his leadership and proven history of supporting Vermont’s agricultural economy through the use of local foods and products. David has extensive experience and a unique understanding of seasonally-driven dining where innovation, successful leadership, and high standards yield exceptional dining and positive business growth.

The third of six children, Hugo knew from a young age he wanted to be a chef. “I come from a big family,” he says. “My mom had a large garden and grew much of what we ate at home.” David attended the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), in Hyde Park, NY, and upon graduating, worked for a notable French chef in Vermont and later for his brother in Paris. His passion for the mountains led him to Colorado, where he spent five years cooking in the resort town of Breckenridge, enjoying all the Rocky Mountains had to offer. Though he was convinced he would never leave the mountains, the pull of the San Francisco restaurant scene lured him to Union Square, where he spent the next five years honing his skills and gaining invaluable experience alongside the city’s most successful professionals of the time. Eventually, David’s rural roots prevailed and he headed back to the lush and fertile valleys of Vermont to head the kitchen at the Inn at Shelburne Farms on the shores of Lake Champlain.

Shelburne Farms is an elegant 19th-century Vanderbilt/Webb estate turned working farm, educational center, & seasonal Inn housing Vermont’s premier Farm-to-Table restaurant. Recognized as a Fodor “Best 100 Hotels” for its trendsetting farm-to-inn concept under Hugo’s leadership, the 1,400-acre working farm and the educational campus includes award-winning farmhouse cheddar from its certified humane grass-based dairy, pasture-raised meats and eggs, and organic produce from the 8-acre market garden. David served as the Executive Chef and Food Services Director for Shelburne Farms for 12 years before returning west with his family as Executive Chef for a small resort in the Tetons.

David lives his local values in and out of the kitchen. When not in his chef whites, he can be found tapping maple trees; wild foraging, milking cows; fixing farm equipment; and harvesting from his own garden. Hugo confesses to loving to work, even at home, where he does woodworking. “I love building things. Food is kind of like building something for your palate — something that is intangible,” he says. Amazingly, Hugo finds time for getting outdoors to play when he’s not working. “I love to ski, love to run, love to hike,” he says. “I love to be outdoors.” David and his family currently live in Jackson Hole, where both work and play are centered around the beautiful mountain landscape.