Tom Berry
Executive Chef

The deciding moment in Tom's life came at the age of thirteen, when he first discovered Gourmet magazine and the Dijon chicken prominently featured on the cover. After three grueling hours in the kitchen, with his mom standing by, Tom had cooked his first "true" meal. The chicken was so-so, but sharing the meal with his eager friends was an indescribable experience and one that has stayed with Tom and guided him throughout his career.

After two years of vocational cooking school and working in the dining halls at the University of New Hampshire, Tom attended Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island. During his senior year, Tom accepted a newly created Johnson & Wales position as an Instructional Assistant, mentoring culinary students who found the program to be more challenging than their peers. After completing his Bachelor's in Culinary Arts degree in 1996, Tom's passion for teaching gained during his time as an Instructional Assistant prompted him to stay on at Johnson & Wales to earn a Masters degree in teaching (MAT). While not currently using his teaching degree in its traditional sense, Tom looks at it as an invaluable tool in training staff, chef demos and "giving back" to the cooking community.

While at Johnson & Wales, Tom worked at the award-winning Boston Harbor Hotel and spent a season on Block Island as Sous Chef at the Moheghan Cafe, where he developed regional seafood specialties. Shortly after graduation, Tom took a sous Chef position at the legendary White Horse Tavern in Newport, Rhode Island. After only four months he was lured away by the charismatic Ming Tsai to open Blue Ginger as a lead line cook. Tom's skills and passion allowed him to quickly rise to the top of this prestigious kitchen. In less than a year, he was promoted to evening Sous Chef where his responsibilities included menu creating and chef event planning. Two and a half years later, in June of 2001, Tom was named Executive Sous Chef. In this role, Berry was responsible for the entire kitchen, including recipe development and testing for the restaurant's menu, as well as Ming's books and TV Food Network shows. As Ming Tsai's right hand man, Tom had the opportunity to travel and work with many notable chefs, including Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Nobu Matsuhisa, David Burke and Jean-Louis Palladin.

Tom left Blue Ginger for the opportunity to serve as opening Executive Chef at Bambara, the Kimpton Group's first New England restaurant, located adjacent to Hotel Marlowe. Tom quickly made a local and national name for himself. He was one of seven chefs featured at the Starchefs Rising Stars of Boston event, was named Best Up & Coming Chef in the Improper Bostonian's 2003 "Boston' Best" issue, appeared as a guest chef on Sara Moulton's Food Network show, Sara's Secrets, and on Fox and Friends on the Fox News Network. After leaving Bambara, Tom drove cross country, tasting the foods of our country's regions before returning to New England and a summer leading the kitchen at Sraight Wharf on Nantucket, one of the island's most beloved restaurants.

In the Fall of 2005, Tom joined the team at Temple Bar, one of the Cambridge area's most spirited restaurants. His appointment to Executive Chef promises to cement Temple Bar's reputation as a great neighborhood restaurant serving terrific food at reasonable prices in a comfortable and welcoming atmosphere.