Mark Miller was born in Boston, Massachusetts in1948. He moved to Northern California in 1967 to study anthropology at Berkeley. His early cooking career started at Chez Panisse cooking under Alice Waters, and with Richard Olmey during trips to France. He then went on to cook at the Santa Fe Grill in Berkeley, prior to Great Chef Jeremiah Tower’s arrival at the restaurant. In 1979, he started Fourth Street Grill, also in Berkeley, where he is credited as being the “founder of Modern Southwestern Cuisine”, that was introduced there.

In 1983, Great Chefs Television was producing a thirteen part series titled, Great Chefs of San Francisco for PBS, and we first began our relationship with Chef Miller at that time at Berkeley’s Fourth Street Grill. The association spanned 10 years, 4 restaurants and 15 dishes! In 1983, we taped him preparing three appetizers: a Scallop Ceviche, Pepper Oysters, a salad, and Oysters with Lime-Chili Sauce; two entrées , Swordfish Escabeche & Yucatan Seafood Stew; and a dessert, Mango Sorbet, all for the San Francisco series (episode #11).

He sold Fourth Street Grill in 1985 and prior to his opening his Coyote Café in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Great Chefs caught up with Chef Miller again at Great Chef Wolfgang Puck’s SPAGO, in Los Angeles where in 1986 they were producing Great Chefs of the West for PBS.

Chef Mark Miller prepared a Corn Ravioli and Cinnamon-flavored Chorizo appetizer (episode #116), a Leg of Lamb Marinated with Mexican Spices entrée, served with a side of Mexican Sweet Cinnamon Rice (episode #107) and an Ibarra Chocolate Cake dessert (episode #101).

In 1987, Chef Miller opened Coyote Café in Santa Fe, and prepared two dishes for the Great Chefs Magazine, Loin of Lamb in Pueblo Flatbread with Chile Arbol Jus and Wild Mushroom Tamales.

In 1991, Chef Miller opened “Red Sage” restaurant in Washington DC, so Great Chefs Television, who were producing Great Chefs of the East at the time, showed up to tape Chef Mark Miller again, preparing a Seared Spicy Tuna with Mole Amarillo entrée (episode #113).

In 2002, Chef Mark opened another restaurant, “Wildfire” in Sydney, Australia, and in 2008, he closed Coyote Café and retired. Today he is still consulting and working with “Boneheads in Atlanta” on a fast, casual-concept restaurant chain, when he is not traveling overseas.