GUYANA native Maurice Dissels learned to cook at a young age from his maternal grandmother, who prepared daily meals for the family, which included 11 children. He has built his culinary career in kitchens across America from Chicago to Vail, Colo., and finally landed in the San Francisco Bay Area more than 15 years ago. Chef Maurice has been at Birk's Restaurant for more than eight years and executive chef for more than six years.

Chef Spotlight is a regular feature leading up to Silicon Valley Restaurant Week, Oct. 14–21. Each week, I will profile a chef involved in SVRW. For more information about the event, please go to www.siliconvalleyrestaurantweek.com.

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