Raised in both Hawaii and San Diego, Troy Guard spent much of his youth in either the ocean or the kitchen. “I was a fish,” he says, “and when I wasn’t in the water, I was grilling or barbecuing—mostly with my Dad, who cooked kalua pigs at luaus.” Exactly the kind of customer Seattle Fish Company loves to serve!

Troy worked his way through college and onto the local culinary scene at San Diego’s La Costa Resort, training at all five of the resort's prestigious restaurants. After college, he returned to his native Hawaii—a path that brought him to the door of legendary fusion chef Roy Yamaguchi. Within a year, Troy was sous chef at one of Yamaguchi’s most popular restaurants, Roy’s Kahana Bar and Grill in Maui.

Troy spent eight years working closely with Yamaguchi before taking the coveted post of Executive Chef at New York City hotspot Tao. Leading a high-volume operation with a large kitchen staff prepared him for his next calling at The Raffles Hotel in Singapore—where, as Chef de Cuisine at the world-renowned Doc Cheng's restaurant, he developed his own unique Pacific Rim style.

It was at Doc Cheng’s that Troy met Richard Sandoval, the visionary behind award-winning “Modern Mexican” concept restaurants across the U.S. Together, Guard and Sandoval hatched the idea of creating Denver’s first Latin-Asian fusion restaurant, Zengo, in the city’s emerging Riverfront area.

On the heels of his success at Zengo, Troy joined forces with developer-turned-restaurateur Jim Sullivan to embark upon a new enterprise that would showcase his innovative culinary personality. The resulting restaurant, nine75, serves “comfort food with a rock & roll twist.” Guard and Sullivan followed this success with the opening of Ocean, a Denver eatery dedicated to uniting the freshest seafood with provocative flavors and preparations.

Despite his international past, Troy has fully embraced life in Denver staying active in local philanthropic efforts and participating in a variety of local cultural events, including the Cherry Creek Arts Festival and the Telluride Festival of Arts.

Having already been named one of the “Great Regional Chefs of America” by the James Beard Foundation, Troy recently returned to the historic James Beard House in New York for yet another honor. As a member of the Denver FIVE, he was proud to be part of a select group of local tastemakers chosen to represent the Mile High City at an exclusive private dinner.

Dining at a restaurant should be an experience for each customer. It is my job as a chef to create something memorable, a little out of the ordinary. I trust Seattle Fish Company to consistently provide me with the highest quality seafood products so that I can focus on the details. Whether it is Kona Kampachi, Ahi, Black Cod, Striped Bass, etc. I know I am beginning with the best possible products and can in fact, focus on the fine details of a culinary experience.

-Troy Guard, Executive Chef and Owner of TAG Restaurant