chef/ownerS

Sages is a dream come true for Bart. Born in Zielona Gora, Poland, he moved to the United States in 1986 with his mother. Unable to speak English, Bart found a job at the age of 14 working with the renowned chef Walter Walcher at Tosonis in Bellevue, WA. Bart's impressive work ethic caught Walter's attention, and he took Bart under his wing, teaching him everything from preparing fine cuisine to driving a car. Bart worked alongside Walter for four years before choosing to move on.

He then worked alongside the Executive Chef at Eques, located in the Hyatt Regency in Bellevue, WA. While he was employed there, he also enrolled in the Seattle School of Culinary Arts. In addition to attending school, he took a part-time job cooking at Ristorante Paradiso in downtown Kirkland. Before long, he was fluent in English and graduated from culinary school. The owner of Paradiso promoted him to Executive Chef, leading him to leave Eques and work full-time at one restaurant. During his ten years at Paradiso, he learned everything he could about running a successful restaurant.

With his wife encouraging him to open his own restaurant, he was ready to take a significant leap of faith. After searching for the perfect location, Bart and Jerri settled on a corner space in downtown Redmond, WA. They both quit their jobs and signed the lease, taking a risk on their dream. With the opening of Sages in January 2001, Bart's loyal clientele followed him to his new venture, allowing his career to flourish and establishing him as one of the most respected chefs on the Eastside. Now in his early 50s, he has nearly four decades of experience in the kitchen.

Bart has a passion for creating sauces, homemade soups, and desserts. He prioritizes using only the finest and freshest ingredients at Sages. In addition to his love for the culinary arts, Bart enjoys anything related to cars, exploring new restaurants, investing, and spending quality time with his family and Walter, the family Frenchie.