CUISINE
Mosaic’s California Global Cuisine brings the garden to the table nightly, and reflects the multicultural heritage of California while highlighting the freshest local and regional seasonal ingredients.

TAI OLESKY • Chef/Proprietor
Sonoma County’s
Homegrown Talent
Growing up in Sonoma County, chef/owner Tai Olesky experienced first-hand the bounty of the area’s farms, rivers and ocean. A self-trained chef, Olesky’s passion for food began at a young age, helping his Italian in-laws work in the garden and cook meals.  His brother-in-law taught him to fish and hunt and introduced him to the idea of seasonal food. “Everything came out of my brother-in-law’s Italian garden,” states Olesky. “It was all organic and even the garlic they grew was a special variety brought over from Italy. My brother-in-law took me fishing for steelhead, forging for wild mushrooms, diving for abalone, and hunting for wild pig and deer. I learned to cook and eat by the seasons from these early experiences.”

At the age of 9, he started watching the Great Chef series on PBS and reading cookbooks. By 12 years old he was making one meal a week for his family, giving the ingredient list to his parents to shop. Starting in small local restaurants, Olesky worked his way up to executive chef at the Harvest Grille and Nectar at the Hilton Sonoma County before fulfilling his life-long dream of owning his own restaurant. Olesky opened Mosaic in the fall of 2005.  In his free time, he loves to travel and has so far been to Australia, Brazil, Europe, the Caribbean, Cambodia and Thailand. Spain and Portugal are on the list to visit next.