Spring 2026

148 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S P R I N G 2 0 2 6 C onsider the chicken sandwich, because—let’s face it—if you eat meat, it’s likely you’ve eaten a chicken sandwich in the past five years, when the melding of bird and bread seemed to fully capture the national zeitgeist. But those were not Stephen “Ty”Thaxton’s chicken sandwiches. At least not the one now on the menu of River Ranch Bar & Grill, one of the three restaurants (plus the catering and room-service operation) he now helms as head chef at Carmel Valley Ranch (CVR).This beauty takes a kimchi and buttermilk fried thigh, slathers it with sriracha aioli, and tops it with shaved cabbage, cilantro and scallion with gochujang vinaigrette. The bun is brioche, the potato chips are house-made and if you find yourself sitting in front of this sandwich, you may be living your best life. Or consider Valley Kitchen, CVR’s fine-dining restaurant. The crispy shrimp is served with a black garlic aioli; the house-made ricotta is served with honeycomb, lardon and poached grapes; and the Black Cod, with tomato glaze, heirloom tomato and pumpkin seeds, is a subtle flavor explosion. It’s clear that Thaxton knows a lot about taste. He has cooked all over the world, spending decades in Europe and Latin America and staging in Michelin-starred kitchens. He was wooed to join CVR last October, where, even in this short time, his imprint is becoming unmistakable. This interview withThaxton—who grew up in Chicago and moved with his family to Georgia as a teenager—has been condensed for length and edited for clarity. Q: What are your earliest memories of cooking, and how did they shape your path as a chef? A: Childhood is really when I decided I wanted to become a chef. I was a bit of a handful as a kid, and my mom somehow managed to make dinner for the family every single night after getting home from work. At a certain point, I was too much for her to keep an eye on while she cooked, so there were a few times she literally tied my waistband to the kitchen counter so I couldn’t run off. My mom instilled my work ethic. She never stopped. No matter how tired or busy she was, she still cooked wonderful meals with care and inten- tion. I learned a lot of my foundational skills from her, but more importantly, I learned that food is about love and effort—even when you’re exhausted. That stuck with me. I was captivated by cooking from then on, and it eventually led me to pursue it professionally. Q: Where did you study? A: I attended Auburn University, where I studied hotel and restaurant management in a program that also had a strong culinary component. While I was in school, I became involved with the Capella Hotel Group, which had been founded by one of the original Ritz-Carlton founders. I was part of one of the inaugural graduating classes tied to that partnership, and I helped set up their internship program. I was also involved in designing kitchens for future students—a long-term project I didn’t get to see com- pleted, but one that taught me a lot. Capella was growing rapidly at the time, opening hotels all over the world, and they sent me on task- force assignments to help open properties. That’s where I gained much of my real-world culinary experience. I lived temporarily in dif- ferent countries, opening hotels and working in the field, which took me all over Europe and Latin America. I ended up spending nearly 10 years in Latin America alone, moving between hotels and restaurants. After Capella, I worked with Ritz-Carlton and Auberge, which continued that international, mobile lifestyle. Eventually, about seven or eight years ago, I settled back in North America. Q: What do you think those companies saw in you that led them to trust you with major projects? A: My dedication, eagerness to grow, and work ethic. I was very deter- mined to advance quickly, and I put myself in situations where I could be useful while also learning. That helped create opportunities that really springboarded my career. Q: How would you describe your vision as a chef? What do you hope people experience when they dine with you? A: I hope people enjoy the food—and the whole experience. Hospitality is about taking care of people, and as chefs we do that through cuisine. Some chefs have a very defined niche or outcome they’re chasing. I don’t Wanderlust Finds Its Place Chef Ty Thaxton Br ings Internat ional Flai r to Carmel Val ley Ranch B Y MARY DUAN “I pull influences, ingredients and techniques from all over the world and incorporate them naturally into what I do.”