Why We're Here
At Marrow Private Chefs our commitment to exquisite cuisine and impeccable service is absolute, and with our blend of experience, tradition, creativity, passion, and clear communication, we are dedicated to crafting unforgettable culinary experiences that bring people together.
We believe in the power of a shared meal to connect and celebrate life's special occasions, and our mission is to captivate and delight our clients and their guests, and turn each and every event into a cherished memory.
The Marrow Team
Richard McCord
Executive Chef | Co-Founder
Ryan McNay
Director of Operations | Co-Founder
Chris Mongogna
Sous Chef | Pastry Chef
Crystal Smith
Event Coordinator | Weddings
Debbie Flynn
Venue Coordinator | Parties
Nicki Hibbard
Event Chef
Joey "Donuts" Lee
Event Chef
Chef Richard McCord
...began his cooking career right here in Santa Rosa Beach at the age of 25. His roommate was running a restaurant kitchen, found himself short staffed one weekend, and asked Richard if he could come in and help out. Richard walked into the kitchen that evening and never left.
After brief stints at several local establishments, Richard joined on with one of the largest catering operations in town, where he eventually rose to be the head chef. Following a couple of years of devotion to large scale catering, Chef Richard decided he was ready to do a little less volume and focus a bit more on the artistry of the culinary world.
In 2018 he teamed up with local friend and fellow chef Ryan McNay and the two of them founded Marrow Private Chefs, focusing on providing restaurant quality meals and experiences in an in-home environment, while always striving to innovate dishes and flavors that combine the bounty of the Gulf of Mexico with the recipes and food traditions of the American South where both chefs grew up and derive much of their inspiration.
Chef Ryan McNay
...a South Walton native with a chef dad and a restaurant manager mom, spent his formative years in and around restaurants, and began working for a family-owned catering company at 10 years old.
He spent his teens and twenties in dozens of different restaurant kitchens in South Walton, Gainesville, Southern California, South Dakota, and South Florida, learning and working every station he could. In his early thirties he returned to the catering world that had been his introduction to cooking 20 years earlier, where he met Richard McCord.
Having grown up here in South Walton, his style of cuisine is heavily influenced by coastal ingredients and tastes, but his roots in a large southern family bring all manner of southern tradition and flavor to bare in his approach to cooking as well.
Chef Chris Mongogna
...grew up in Kenner, LA - right outside of New Orleans - and started cooking for his family for fun early on, but didn't turn pro until the age of 34 when he traded in his plumber's uniform for a chef coat and went to work for a New Orleans restaurant following Hurricane Katrina.
In 2007 the restaurant relocated to 30a and Chris, along with his two daughters Karley & Sophia, moved here with it and he became the restaurant's pastry chef. Over the next several years Chris worked at a few different notable South Walton establishments, and even opened a restaurant of his own for a time, serving traditional New Orleans fare.
His style of cooking is driven primarily by the cajun and creole styles and flavors of New Orleans, as well as by his Italian family heritage.