Chef Info

Marc Collins is the Executive Chef of Circa 1886 located in the carriage house on the grounds of the Wentworth mansion in Charleston, South Carolina. In this classic structure built in 1886, Collins’ cuisine is influenced by the ingredients and cooking styles that were found in homes around Charleston during the turn of the century. As one of the largest harbor cities in the United States, these cooking styles came predominately from England, France and the Caribbean.

Marc, age 29, brings a fresh, creative approach to presenting historic Charleston cuisine. His early foray into cooking began in Erie, Pennsylvania 12 years ago. Here he got his “culinary feet wet” while working on the Paradise II, a private yacht that was the sister ship to the Presidential Yacht Sequoia. Starting as a dishwasher and working his way through a number of positions, he discovered he loved working with food. Marc attended a vocational culinary school and gained more on-the-job experience at the Erie Country Club under the direction of Executive Chef David Spadafore (a Gold Medal Winner in the Culinary Olympics). He later attended The Pennsylvania Institute of Culinary Arts in Pittsburgh. After graduating, he moved to San Antonio, Texas to explore cuisine in this part of the United States.

His first job in San Antonio was working at La Mansion Del Rio with French Chef Guy Collinet. Here he honed his skills in French culinary technique. Marc would later move on to La Louisiana, a restaurant specializing in both fine French cuisine and Cajun Creole cooking. In 1995, he joined the Fairmont Hotel (a member of Small Luxury Hotels) in San Antonio and was named Executive Chef in 1996. The Fairmont has been awarded the AAA Four-Diamond Award for the past nine years and was listed as the best hotel restaurant in downtown San Antonio by the Zagat survey.