Chef Bios
Greg Lopez, Executive Chef
A New Jersey native, Chef Greg earned his culinary arts degree from The New England Culinary Institute and has spent more than 10 years in fine dining establishments, boutique hotels and resorts. His goal in the kitchen is to take Mother Nature’s bounty, highlight technical skills and present each dish with a chef’s whimsy.
Chef Greg oversees four kitchens in the two Hyatt Hotels in Seattle as well as Urbane. He hopes that good honest attention to guests needs from both the kitchen and service staff at Urbane will continue to feed a dining savvy public for decades to come.
Kelsey-Lynn Sunshine
As a child it was common place to pick our meals from the garden. By working with local organic farmers, we strive to do as close to the same thing here. I helped open Urbane in the Winter of ’09 & we have been working hand in hand with the Hyatt at Olive 8, the first LEED certified Silver hotel in the company. Before opening Urbane I worked at the Flying Fish under Chef Chris Keff who shared similar goals of sustainability.
Amanda Merkle
Baking with my Grandmothers and canning our garden harvest with my Mom is where I gained a passion for eating close to home. After graduating from the Seattle Culinary Academy I was able to travel and work with farmers, bakers and cheese makers in the Loire Valley of France and Skagit Valley to encourage more local and sustainable diets. Now volunteering at Seattle Tilth, working at Urbane in the LEED certified Hyatt at Olive 8, and developing relationships with local producers allows me to follow my passion of creating sustainable community through food.
