Timothy Au, formerly Chef de Cuisine at A.R. Valentien, Executive Chef at the Mayflower Inn in Washington, Connecticut and of Molly’s Restaurant and Wine Bar is currently a Culinary Consultant for Marriot Hotels in San Diego.

Timothy’s interest in cooking came at the very tender age of 6; his mother reminds him fondly how he tried to teach the baby sitter to make steamed rice. He began cooking seriously at the age of 18 attending Milwaukee Area Technical Colleges’ Restaurant & Hotel Cookery Program while doing a 4 star apprenticeship at The Grenadiers, a Milwaukee Culinary Icon under Chef Knut Apitz who was a French trained-German Chef. After completing the grueling European style apprenticeship he sought out the best chefs’ where ever he resided. Sanford D’Amato of Sanford’s in Milwaukee, Wi., who is a James Beard Award Winner, was his next step.

Timothy has traveled and worked the California coast & Hawaii. Studying his craft with Chef’s ‘The Two Hot Tamales’ Mary Sue Milliken & Susan Feneger from City Restaurant and The Border Grill, Jeremiah Tower of Star’s, Bradley Ogden from One Market & the Lark Creek Inn, Bill Bracken from the Beverly Hills Peninsula Hotel, and lastly a San Diego local chef by the name of Doug Organ, The Winesellar & Brassiere as well as Restaurant Laurel.
While living in San Francisco he was Sous Chef at Moose’s in North Beach, followed by a stint as Executive Chef at The Sherman House Hotel, a 4 star luxury Relais & Chateaux property. After The Sherman House he was recruited by Peter Osborne of The Golden Bear Restaurant Company to be the Corporate Chef running The Buchanan Grill in the Marina District, The Washington Square Bar & Grill in North Beach and Designing the Prototype menu and kitchen for MoMo’s in the SOMA district across from Pac Bell Park.

Timothy and his wife, Kristina, grew tired of the cool, wet climate of the San Francisco’s Bay area. He had accepted a Chefs position at Café Pesto in Kawaihae on the Big Island of Hawaii specializing in which is touted as a front-runner in the Hawaiian Regional Cuisine movement. 

Upon returning to the mainland he has decided to make San Diego his home once more. He has chosen to work at The Evan’s Hotel group’s signature hotel The Lodge at Torrey Pines with Star Executive Chef Jeff Jackson or “J2” as his staff lovingly knows him.  After a 3 amazing years with A.R. Valentien Timothy headed back East to accept an Executive Chef position at the  Mayflower Inn where, using locally grown produce, he reinvented New England heritage cooking in delicious new ways.