Tim Kolanko is the overarching culinary director for Urban Kitchen Group (UKG) and the chef partner for a number of the collective’s restaurants including ARTIFACT at Mingei, Gold Finch, The Kitchen at MCASD, and more. He leverages 30+ years of professional industry experience working in dinning institutions throughout the country to lead the impressive culinary programs for UKG’s nine restaurant locations in San Diego and Orange County, alongside a full–service catering division. In 2002, Chef Kolanko made a pivotal move west from Aspen to San Diego to be a part of the opening team at La Jolla’s AAA Five Diamond resort, The Lodge at Torrey Pines, where he developed a level of culinary craftsmanship uniquely his own and was promoted to Chef de Cuisine of The Lodge’s venerable A.R. Valentien in 2005. After a decade at The Lodge, Kolanko joined one of San Diego’s powerhouse hospitality groups as culinary director to open several award–winning concepts including the city’s first food hall, Liberty Public Market, and the fine–dining Stake Chophouse + Bar in Coronado. In partnering with outstanding restaurateur Tracy Borkum and Urban Kitchen Group in 2019, Chef Kolanko brings a particular reverence for sustainable sourcing and farmer–chef relationships, which have become the hallmark of his seasonally driven menus