BIO: CHEF MARCUS GUILIANO Chef Marcus Guiliano began cooking in the Borscht Belt in the Catskills. Growing up in upstate New York, he was around traditional kosher hotels. Marcus’ first steps were as a busboy and then waiter at fourteen years old. Working at a small chalet resort gave him his first kitchen experience in which he switched sides to become a chef. Marcus learned quickly and took over the kitchen within a year. After a year gaining experience, Chef Marcus went to work at the Nevele Resort in Ellenville. This gave him “big kitchen experience”.

 Now, he gave up the accounting class and enrolled in culinary school. While excelling in culinary school, the head of the department pulled him aside and introduced him to the famed Greenbrier Resort. It took two years of applying to be accepted by the chef there.

 Chef Marcus finally discovered his calling in 1999 after eight years culinary experience. He was a seasoned veteran chef with stints at famous resorts such as The Greenbrier Resort and the Broadmoor Resort, plus a stint working at Pierre Koffman’s La Tante Claire in London, a coveted Michelin Three Star restaurant. But, something was wrong. “All this experience taught me how to cook great tasting food which was slowly killing me,” he explains. “I was overweight. I had high cholesterol, high blood pressure, asthma and I was facing an operation for acid reflux.” Then Chef Marcus happened to watch Gary Null promoting his book, Get Healthy Now: A Complete Guide to Prevention, Treatment, and Healthy Living on public television. Marcus rushed to a health food store for a copy and read it immediately. (He subsequently contributed numerous recipes to Null's recently released book, The Power of Aging.) “The principles I discovered from Null and others changed everything. I learned about detoxifying the body, the need for exercise and, most important of all, whole foods and a diet based on whole foods alone. It’s no exaggeration to say that it changed my life.”

 Having saved himself, Chef Marcus, together with his wife Jamie, turned to helping everyone else. The first step was opening Aroma Thyme Bistro on new year’s eve 2003. Aroma Thyme Bistro offers an innovative menu of focused, natural cuisine that reflects balance and well-being.

 Chef Marcus’ consistent objective is to create meals that achieve impact through pure ingredients with limited manipulation. To achieve this, Aroma Thyme Bistro avoids refined white flour, sugar, butter and heavy dairy products. These ingredients are used as a traditional way of masking food’s natural flavors, and Chef Marcus realizes they are not only unnecessary, but contribute significantly to poor health. Chef Marcus credits his culinary style to major health changes he experienced from the impact of a diet that includes essential oils and raw foods.

 Aroma Thyme Bistro has been described as “a miracle in the Catskills” among other things. Now in its fifth year, Aroma Thyme Bistro has established itself as one of the best small restaurants in the New York Hudson Valley. It has been an ongoing recipient of the Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator, and Zagat rated it 25 (out of 30) for food.

 “Who says healthy cuisine has limitations?” asks Chef Marcus. His Aroma Thyme Bistro’s menu blends healthy, pasture-raised meats, sustainable seafood and vegan options, and wine list runs to 300 selections and beer list to 150. Chef

 Marcus and Jamie Guiliano meet in high school in 1990. Both grew up in Ellenville, NY. Jamie was born and raised there, and Chef Marcus moved there when he was nine. Ellenville Central School is a small school in a village of 4000 residents where everyone knows each other.

 Afterwards, Jamie attended SUNY Cortland’s elementary school teaching program. She made frequent trips to Colorado and West Virginia to visit Marcus wherever he was employed at the time. In her senior year, she went to London to student teach. Marcus traveled to be with her. It gave him the opportunity to work in London for Pierre Koffman and Paul Gayler.

 Upon returning from the UK, Jamie and Marcus moved to Colorado. They became very fond of Colorado since Marcus lived there as a child and always seemed to end up there. The young engaged couple started their life out west.

The wedding was set a year later in New York. Marcus and Jamie spent almost five years in Colorado. Marcus was Sous-Chef at The Penrose Room in the Broadmoor Hotel. Next, Marcus spent a year working at a financially troubled country club. His last stint in Colorado was Chef and Partner at Walter’s Bistro. This is where his journey started to evolve. It did not take long for Chef Marcus to link up with over fifty Colorado farmers. These farms began supplying Walter’s Bistro with fresh food for Chef Marcus’ American menu.

 But here is where his questions began to be answered such as “ where and how does all this food get produced for us?” Going farm to farm and slaughter plant to slaughter plant provided an in-depth lesson on food. “I guess you call some of this stuff food”, says Chef Marcus. He learned the difference between mass produced food and small family farmed food. “The difference was astonishing”, he said.

 Chef Marcus began to source food he felt comfortable eating himself. But, then came the kicker. Jamie became pregnant with their first child. So, now came even more scrutiny with food purchases. Marcus and Jamie became very concerned with their food supply with a child on the way. At the same time, Chef Marcus was on several medications, and the doctor recommended more. Chef Marcus was asthmatic his whole life. He experienced high blood pressure, allergies, high cholesterol, chronic fatigue, prescription deodorant and other ailments. Basically, he was a mess. “The years of eating whatever I wanted caught up to me. I ate all that rich food that was served to the customers, but I ate it every night and usually late at night”, says Chef Marcus.

 He approached his doctor with these concerns, especially his weight. Every new job added ten new pounds. Chef Marcus’ mom sent him a book by Dr. Jensen on bee pollen. The book made a lot of sense. Then, Chef Marcus saw a special on PBS by Gary Null. “Now, this makes tons of sense”, he said. Dr. Null talked about the whole body and mind connection. Chef Marcus quickly bought several of Null’s books at the health food store.

 Jamie was unaware, and then uncertain, when she found out. Null described a new approach to health, wellness and medicine. Chef Marcus started to apply these concepts. Fast forward one month and a half at his doctor’s office. The doctor was more than impressed with Chef Marcus’ new medical statistics. His blood pressure and cholesterol plummeted. His medications where quickly being reduced. And, the big one, Chef Marcus totally reversed his lifelong asthma affliction.

 All of this change came from his changed diet and thought process. Jamie was pregnant and Marcus was becoming a new person. Chef Marcus bought and read every book on nutrition he could find. “I’m a chef. I should know as many diet regimes as possible” says Chef Marcus.

 At the same time, Jamie thought that Marcus was making a big mistake following the advice of alternative health advocates. Jamie resisted almost three years.

 Marcus continued to research this health stuff. By now lots of people were asking Chef Marcus what he was doing, since the difference in his health was noticeable.

 After Courtney was born, Jamie and Marcus decided that a move back home to NY would be great for the family. The family embraced the move but not Marcus’ new way of eating.

 Chef Marcus took a job as Executive Chef at a country club in Westchester County, NY. He was hired to bring a new approach to “club food”. Chef Marcus’ organic healthy cooking turned the heads of the hiring committee. But, he soon learned that most of the members did not care about his innovative approach.

 Chef Marcus knew within several months that it was not his dream job. By this time, Jamie was pregnant with their second child.

 9/11 killed club memberships in the metro New York area, and Marcus held on to this job until fall 2002. By now, Chef Marcus was immersed in alternative health and unsure of his cooking future. The health aspect of food was much more interesting to him.

 Jamie and Marcus decided as a family to look for a restaurant space to cook the food that they believed in. By now, Jamie was on board with the research that Marcus was following. Their search for dream restaurant space was underway.

 After months of looking, they settled on a building four blocks from their house in Ellenville. The building housed a local bar for around 25 years. It was a real dive with a small kitchen but it looked hopeful.

 Jamie and Marcus opened Aroma Thyme Bistro on Christmas Day 2003. The first meal, on Christmas day, was a gift to the needy. This became an annual event that, today, feeds over 250 local people and includes delivery for people shut-in. Chef Marcus’ compassion for less fortunate people is equaled only by his desire to help everyone be healthier through good nutrition.

 The official kick off of Aroma Thyme came a week later on New Years Eve. Chef Marcus and Jamie quickly had a home-grown effect on the community. Every local politician and most residents cheered them on to succeed. Ellenville was a tired little town in the Catskills that suffered economic loss during the last twenty years. A new innovative restaurant could provide a piece of the puzzle for future growth.

 Aroma Thyme Bistro’s first year was a struggle as in any new business. Chef Marcus and Jamie raised their own money for the venture, and when does anyone every have enough money? The adapted very quickly during the first year to get on track. Hudson Valley Magazine quickly honored them with the “Best New Restaurant” award. Aroma Thyme Bistro gained many more awards from this magazine and others. Wine Spectator gave them the Award of Excellence that they have held since 2004. Now, the whole Hudson Valley knew Jamie and Chef Marcus were serious.

 Aroma Thyme Bistro was unable to obtain a full liquor license due to having a church located within 200 feet of it. The previous bar was there before the church, and Chef Marcus and Jamie missed the one-year grandfather clause. After Aroma Thyme Bistro’s success, they were able to write a new law with the help of State Assemblyman, Kevin Cahill, and State Senator, John Bonasic. The law passed with flying colors, and Aroma Thyme Bistro became the third establishment in New York history to overcome this obstacle.

 Today, Aroma Thyme Bistro has over 300 wine, 150 beer and 90 vodka selections. Aroma Thyme Bistro has developed a large following from all over the NY Hudson Valley and beyond.

 Now Chef Marcus is cooking food he calls “New American Cuisine”. This cuisine aims to help the body and satisfy the palate. Aroma Thyme Bistro uses no white sugar, white flour, trans fats or corn syrup, and basically avoids chemical ingredients. Aroma Thyme Bistro is known for serving free range meats, sustainable seafood, organic ingredients and Chef Marcus’ version of “gourmet holistic cuisine”. For example, guests can order wheat grass and young Thai coconut, which are the foundation for our blood, and a classic Bordeaux wine. Guests include strict vegans, gluten-free food consumers, and plain meat and potato eaters. Aroma Thyme Bistro pleases all palates.

 Chef Marcus is dedicated to researching the latest information on nutrition. He knows which wines and beers are organic, biodynamic and vegan. “Our customers really appreciate the care and love that goes into our food and our beverage selections”, says Jamie.

 Chef Marcus is a regular guest on local radio shows and has appeared on local TV spreading the word on his approach to nutrition. He educates listeners on many aspects such as healthy salt, why they should not cook with olive oil, and when produce is its most nutritious. It is no wonder Chef Marcus is known through out the Hudson Valley as “the guru of healthy food”.

 Aroma Thyme Bistro 165 Canal Street Ellenville, NY 12428 Tel: 845.647.3000 www.aromathymebistro.com