About Us
A Sizzling Start
Housed on the same site as the first firehouse in California and in Monterey’s historic first firehouse, built in 1910, Montrio opened its doors in 1995. Since then, we’ve earned numerous national and regional accolades from prestigious organizations like Wine Spectator, Esquire, Wine Enthusiast, and the American Culinary Federation. Most notably, Montrio has been voted Best Restaurant in Monterey County for 10 consecutive years and proudly serves as a Sustainable Seafood Watch Ambassador.
Our team is deeply committed to sustainable, environmentally responsible practices, including:
- Near-zero waste operations
- Comprehensive recycling and composting programs
- Renewable energy credits
- Use of in-house reusable materials
- Serving over 40% organic food
Enjoy summer dining and people-watching on our pet-friendly outdoor patio—the perfect spot to relax and savor every moment.

Kurt Bouchar
Executive Chef
Born and raised in Woonsocket R.I., Chef Kurt Boucher began his career in food service at a young age working for a French bistro in the heart of Woonsocket R.I. As his love of food, technique, and business grew into a passion, Kurt began to travel the country to learn about different cuisines directly from the source.
With a B.A in Applied Food Science from Johnson & Wales University B.A he has worked his way through the ranks. Gaining national recognition working with clientele ranging from celebrities to dignitaries around the world, such as Al Gore, Henry Kinsinger and an extensive list of celebrities. Of note, Chef Kurt has led the helm as Executive Chef of the famed Pinecreek Cookhouse in Aspen Colorado. His national recognition earned a spot on Iron Chef America cooking against Bobby Flay on The Food Network. He has cooked alongside other culinary legends such as; Neil Perry, Emeril Lagasse and Jeans George Vongerchten. He has participated in Aspen Food & Wine Classic for 7 years as well as Meals on Wheels Celebrity Chef Brunch for 5 years. Taking the opportunity to hone his skills as a leader and expand his business acumen, Chef Kurt owned several businesses, from restaurants to grocery, where he focused on bringing great food and service to many communities.
Fine cuisine remains a strong passion of Kurt and his cooking style is based on the philosophy of using the freshest ingredients, as local as possible, trained in classical French with Asian influences. His love of California, the ocean, and people brought him here to his most recent role as the Executive Chef at Montrio in Monterey where he plans to refine his passion for farm to fresh scratch cooking and continue to build upon the Michelin recognized Montrio Restaurant.

