Steven Seagal once said in the film, Under Siege, “I’m just the cook,” as he had run afoul and gotten into trouble as a SEAL. In Marti’s case he once went bankrupt, was a high-school drug-user, spent time in the slammer and also was branded a LOSER with Non-Judicial Punishment proceedings on his federal record. “Once at the bottom, there is nowhere to go but up!” He retired after 21-years in the military, serving on three continents, and learning six languages in numerous wars, living in Asia and Europe as a very highly decorated veteran. “I wanted to change my life and turn myself around with my Admiral’s help.” Taking care of Presidents’, a Queen, a King or Prince’s became his specialty. He starts his program by serving dessert. With 22 veterans committing suicide each day in America his message of winning showcases how vets, or anyone down, can succeed – despite all odds. His business and marketing plans are sold worldwide via Business Plan Pro, he owns eight companies from an Inn, to consulting for resorts to trademarks and CPG creation. “You can ask any investor if they have ever actually lived with sharks, or spent months inside the ocean – and every single one will say no, they never have. I have and also did it at the North Pole.” In the past 24 months he has been seen on NBC Nightly News, CNN International to 212 countries, a PBS special and in 126 newspapers and magazines including the Washington Post, FOOD TV Network Magazine and the London Times.
Famed for fooling and duping the President of the United States – with his healthy, kitchen magical acts and medical-based, illusionist-like, cookery, Chef Marti is highly featured on CNN, PBS, the TODAY show, NHK TV in Tokyo & TV Brussel in the Capitol of the European Union. “When the Doctors tell you to cook with seaweed, tofu, seitan, tempeh and soy – you had better actually be one heck of a chef! Otherwise the Commander-in-Chef AND the Commander in Chief will die,” he quips. Learning and perfecting medical based cuisine is his specialty and working with clients and resorts private doctors is what he did at the White House and Camp David Resort and Conference Center. Today he owns his private culinary institute with over 3,600 graduates, helps Forbes 400 homes and travels the world resort market doing speeches and medical cookery presentations.
The most recent articles and TV specials entitled, “Fooling Clinton,” were featured on POST TV, in the Washington Post, The Times of London, India Times, The Australian, Yahoo Shine with millions of hits and almost shut down the Huffington Post website. He is the Senior Curator at The Presidential Culinary Museum and Presidential Service Center. He remains a close friend to the Clinton and Bush family.
Getting his Just Desserts & All the President’s Menu’s. Before a who’s who list of world leaders, literati, & celebrities, Marti honed his caring standards by serving the likes of King Abdullah II & Queen Rania while in the deserts of Jordan, Doctor Steven Covey & Tony Robbins at Camp David, Prime Minister Hashimoto in Japan, Lord Nelson in Brussels, inside the White House to Jon Bon Jovi, Sheryl Crow, Al & Tipper Gore, Nicolas Cage, Patricia Arquette, Sophia Loren, Martin Scorsese, Mario Cuomo, Joe Garagiola, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia & author Gay Talese – all of whom were treated to the inventive creations that cascaded out of the White House & Camp David kitchens.
Inside the Presidents” Cabinet. (Not the cabinet you’re thinking of) His presence has boosted attendance figures, shattered show records and added prestige for organizations. Events scheduling up to 10 million visitors typically have called for Marti, like the Taste of St. Louis, the AARP Convention, The International Balloon Festival, Race for the Cure and America’s State Fair. Marti began cooking & making his own food products, labels & packaging with sales distribution at the young age of eight. He was a tireless pest in sales, publicity & marketing as a child – always at someone’s front door – selling! He trained under three Culinary Institute of America chefs at 16, & joined the Navy at 18 where he went to cooks training & then volunteered for nuclear submarine school/duty. He believed & professed that he could attain unlimited heights in a Navy career. Ten years later he found himself appointed Executive Chef to the President of the United States of America at Camp David, at age 28 – as part of the White House Military Office. When he enlisted in the Navy had no idea he would be called upon one day to help stir things up for the Presidents’ cabinet. After military retirement, he has helped grow clients like P & G, Heinz & Emeril Lagasse.
21-year decorated Veteran. He trained furthest under White House Executive Chefs, Walter Scheib III & Cris Comerford & acted as a Sous Chef for America’s Official State Dinners. He worked for the White House Military Office (WHMO) as he was recruited inside the military for the position. During his time at Camp David, in the White House & in living in Asia & Europe he also moonlighted with companies like BJ’s Wholesale, NHK Tokyo, NBC TV, TVBrussel, Vitaya Worldwide TV & Custom Culinary to design recipes & market new products. His meatless Boca-burger chili recipe created for Doctor Ornish’s best-selling book, “Everyday Cooking with Dean Ornish,” became an instant success. It has been featured on NBC TV’s, “Cooking with Class,” on MSN Health & WebMD & became a product sold in supermarkets to this day – worldwide. New entrees, products, menus & flavors – Marti knows food & the food business. He helped Formaggio Italian Cheese Specialties soar with a 35% increase, numerous gold medals won at the US Cheese Championships & he streamlined tastes & packaging of nine new products like, “Better than Butter,” &, “Just Add Lettuce.” Emeril Lagasse gave him the nod to represent and direct promotion of his food products at the world’s greatest cuisine convention, “The Fancy Food Show.” Recently he helped P&G develop Metamucil Wafers for global sale.
Hail to the Chef. When Chef Marti worked with his client, BJ’s Wholesale, year-to-date net sales increased by 12% to $5.3 billion from $4.7 billion & comparable club sales increased by 1.9%. Branding is paired with creativity & ingenuity. Many people saw Marti produce & direct the Kings in the Kitchen radio & road shows at Foxwoods Casino (where he coined “Men don’t need or want to follow any directions,”) in 2007. Other clients entrusting him with their products are Ore-Ida, Classico, Fibersure, The Detroit Arts Beats & Eats festival, Turkey Hill, Hershey’s, The International Balloon Festival, Kraft, Con Agra, B&G Foods, WaWa, IGA & Maple Grove Farms.
