Meet the Chefs: Richard McCord, Ryan McNay, Chris Mongogna
- Marrow Private Chefs
- Dec 30, 2025
- 7 min read
Marrow Private Chefs was founded by three chef-owners who built the business from scratch—literally. We designed and constructed our own commercial kitchen, cutting concrete, building the chef's bar, and painting (so much painting) with our own six hands.
None of us went to culinary school. We learned in professional kitchens, worked our way up, and eventually decided to build something of our own.
Here's who we are and how we got here.
Richard McCord — Executive Chef
Background
Richard began his cooking career right here in Santa Rosa Beach at age 25. His roommate was running a restaurant kitchen, found himself short-staffed one weekend, and asked Richard if he could help out. Richard walked into the kitchen that evening and never left.
After working at several local establishments, Richard joined one of the largest catering operations in town, where he eventually rose to Executive Chef. Following a couple of years in large-scale catering, Richard decided he was ready to focus more on the artistry side of cooking.
In 2018, he teamed up with Ryan McNay to found Marrow Private Chefs—focusing on restaurant-quality meals in an in-home environment, while striving to innovate dishes and flavors that combine the bounty of the Gulf of Mexico with the recipes and food traditions of the American South.
Role at Marrow
Richard (working closely with Chris) drives the creation of new dishes and supervises the day-to-day kitchen operations.
What Guests Say
Guests frequently mention Richard's calm demeanor and the way he makes a four-course dinner look effortless. That calm comes from years of experience and thousands of events.
Ryan McNay — Director of Operations
Background
A South Walton native with a chef dad and a restaurant manager mom, Ryan spent his formative years in and around restaurants. He began working for a family-owned catering company at age 10.
He spent his teens and twenties in dozens of different restaurant kitchens in South Walton, Gainesville, Southern California, South Dakota, and South Florida—learning and working every station he could. Early in his career, he had the privilege of working with Certified Master Chef Jack Shoop and training under Chef Todd Meisner, formerly one of the chef-owners of Stinky's Fish Camp in Santa Rosa Beach. Ryan also worked at notable local establishments including Cafe 30A, Vin'tij Wine Boutique, and Bud and Alley's.
In his early thirties, Ryan returned to the catering world where he met Richard McCord. The two quickly became close friends, bonding over their shared appreciation for culinary skill and work ethic—which eventually led to founding Marrow together.
Having grown up in South Walton, Ryan's style of cuisine is heavily influenced by coastal ingredients and tastes, but his roots in a large Southern family bring Southern tradition and flavor to his approach to cooking.
Role at Marrow
Ryan handles operations, business development, and logistics. He's also the person most likely to respond to your initial inquiry and walk you through menu selection and booking.
Philosophy
Ryan's philosophy is simple: build systems that allow chefs to focus on cooking. The better the systems, the more seamless the experience for guests.
Marrow's ability to execute 2,500+ events with zero food safety incidents is a direct result of the operational rigor Ryan brings to the business.
Chris Mongogna — Sous Chef/Pastry Chef
Background
Chris grew up in Kenner, Louisiana—right outside of New Orleans—and started cooking for his family for fun early on. He didn't turn professional until age 34, when he traded in his plumber's uniform for a chef coat and went to work for a New Orleans restaurant following Hurricane Katrina.
In 2007, the restaurant relocated to 30A, and Chris, along with his two daughters Karley and Sophia, moved here with it. He became the restaurant's pastry chef and over the next several years worked at a few different notable South Walton establishments.
Chris was the opening sous chef at Emeril's Coastal Italian in Miramar Beach, where he worked directly with Celebrity Chef Emeril Lagasse (recent recipient of 2 Michelin stars at Emeril's in New Orleans).
Chris also opened a restaurant of his own called The Marigny in Santa Rosa Beach, where he served traditional New Orleans fare. It was there that he first met Ryan McNay, who was so impressed by the food that he took a job as Chris's sous chef.
When the time came to expand Marrow's team, Chris was the obvious choice. He joined as a co-owner in June 2021.
Chris's style of cooking is driven primarily by the Cajun and Creole flavors of New Orleans, as well as by his Italian family heritage.
Role at Marrow
Chris works closely with Richard on new dish creation and supervision of event chefs and support staff. He also drives the delicious desserts that you see on all of our menus, drawing on all of his knowledge from years of baking and pastry work.
What Makes Chris Different
Chris's time with Emeril taught him how to execute at the highest level while maintaining consistency. He brings that same standard to every Marrow event.
But Chris is also pragmatic. He's not interested in technique for technique's sake. If a modernist element doesn't make the dish better, it doesn't make the menu.
How the Three of Us Work Together
Division of Roles
Richard: Day-to-day kitchen operations, event execution, guest interaction
Ryan: Operations, logistics, guest communication, business development
Chris: Menu development, quality control, elevated event execution, pastry
Why This Model Works
Most private chef services are one-person operations. The chef does everything—menu planning, sourcing, cooking, cleanup, scheduling, invoicing.
Marrow operates differently. By dividing responsibilities among three chef-owners, we're able to scale without sacrificing quality.
If Richard is booked for an event, Chris or Ryan can step in. If we have multiple events on the same night, we can staff them appropriately without relying on a single chef's availability.
The Full Team
Beyond the three chef-owners, Marrow has:
Two event planners and coordinators
Three full-time event chefs
A trusted network of servers, bartenders, cooks, and service staff we've worked with for years at restaurants throughout South Walton
When you book Marrow, you're not just hiring one chef—you're hiring a full team.
We Built This. Literally.
In our early years, we operated out of a very small kitchen—enough to get started, but not enough to sustain the growth we were experiencing.
So in 2022, we moved into a warehouse facility and built our own commercial kitchen.
And when we say "built," we mean it. The three of us designed the layout, cut all the concrete, did all the painting, and constructed a 12-seat chef's bar and wet bar inside the space. Outside of technical electrical and plumbing work, we built the entire facility ourselves.
Why does this matter? Because it's who we are. We're not chefs who delegate and disappear. We're builders, problem-solvers, and people who do the work with our own hands.
The same care we put into cutting that concrete goes into every dish we plate for your celebration.
What We've Built Together
2,500+ Events Since 2018
Since opening in 2018, we've prepared over 2,500 events across 30A and the Emerald Coast. Birthdays, weddings, corporate gatherings, family vacations, bachelorette parties, rehearsal dinners, and everything in between.
Some meaningful milestones along the way:
November 2020: Our 500th event
April 2022: Our 1,000th event
June 2025: Our 2,500th event
What we're most proud of isn't just the numbers—it's that the quality of event number 2,500 was just as important to us as event number one. Every celebration matters. Every guest deserves our best.
650+ Five-Star Reviews
We have more five-star reviews than any other private chef service on 30A.
These reviews aren't the result of one great chef having one great night. They're the result of a team executing consistently, event after event, for seven years.
Zero Food Safety Incidents
After 2,500+ events, we've never had an incident of a guest becoming ill due to cross-contamination or food handling.
This record is the result of rigid protocols, experienced chefs, and a commitment to doing things the right way—not the fast way.
Awards and Recognition
We're honored to have been recognized by the Emerald Coast community:
Best Chef on the Emerald Coast — 2023 & 2024 (Emerald Coast Magazine Readers' Choice)
Best On-Site Catering — 2023 & 2024 (Emerald Coast Magazine Readers' Choice)
Small Business of the Year — 2024 (Walton Area Chamber of Commerce)
We've also been featured in Southern Bride Magazine (Summer 2025 issue) and IBB At Home Magazine (Summer 2024 issue).
Our Philosophy
Food Should Bring People Together
We're not interested in cooking that's performative or inaccessible. The goal is to create meals that bring people together and make them feel something.
If a dish doesn't contribute to that goal, it doesn't belong on the menu.
We Don't Cut Corners
Every dish is made from scratch. Every ingredient is chosen with care. Every detail—from the first bite to the final cleanup—is handled so you can focus entirely on your guests and the moment you're celebrating.
Guests Come First
Success isn't measured by technical perfection or culinary accolades. It's measured by whether the guest had a great experience and would book us again.
That's the metric that matters.
Why We Built Marrow
All three of us worked in restaurants before starting Marrow. Restaurants are great, but they come with limitations—fixed menus, high volume, tight margins, and the grind of serving hundreds of guests a night.
Private chef work offered something different: the ability to cook for smaller groups, customize menus, and build relationships with guests.
But most private chefs work alone, out of home kitchens, with limited capacity. We wanted to build something bigger—a team-based operation with a commercial facility, the ability to scale, and the resources to execute at a higher level.
Seven years later, that's what we've built.
What's Next
We're not chasing Michelin stars or opening restaurants. The goal has always been to build the best private chef service on the beach—and to keep getting better.
That means refining menus, improving systems, training new team members, and making sure event #3,000 is as good as event #2,500.
It also means staying hands-on. All three of us still cook regularly, still show up at events, and still care deeply about every detail.
That's not changing.
Meet Us in Person
The best way to meet us is to book an event. One of us will likely be the chef who shows up at your vacation rental.
We're not the kind of chefs who hide in the kitchen. We're happy to answer questions, share cooking tips, and talk about what we're preparing.
Our favorite compliment from guests: "It was like having a friend cook for us."
That's the goal. Professional execution, personal connection.
One of us will be in touch.
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