A fifth generation Ventura native, Huff began his career at 15 when he started cooking for a barbeque company at a local grocery store, a skill he had picked up at home – “My father was always standing over a barbeque,” he says. However, it was later, on a visit to Leon, France while traveling in Europe that he first began to think seriously about food. Huff attended Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo with his sights set on becoming a fireman, but ended up changing course when a friend’s invitation to come along to Denmark and cook for a summer proved a life-altering experience.Upon returning to California, he enrolled in the culinary arts program at Santa Barbara City College and then attended the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena. He further honed his skills working at the esteemed Stonehouse at the San Ysidro Ranch and for two years at L’Orangiere under the tutelage of Ludric Le Preve.Still, influenced by his time in Denmark, Huff felt the need to further explore the world of food and acquire first hand knowledge about cuisine in other countries. He embarked on a journey around the globe, spending time cooking in kitchens in Thailand and Australia while enjoying another love – surfing. It was in Australia that he met the influential Tetsuya Wakuda and his mentor Nori Sugie, whom he worked under at Sydney’s Restaurant VII. While there, he also met and married his wife.Huff returned to the United States in 2003 as Sous Chef at Asiate at the Mandarin Oriental, New York under Sugie, where he was able to further refine his skills cooking French and Japanese influenced cuisine. In 2005, he moved to San Francisco to join the culinary team as Chef de Cuisine of Silks, where he garnered praise from critics and media such as Bon Appetit, Wine Spectator and San Francisco Magazine. Esquire named him one of “Four Chefs to Watch” in 2006.Most recently, Huff served as Chef de Cuisine at The Bazaar by José Andrés at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills, where he played a key role in the pre-opening menu research, planning and creation process.Huff – who enjoys presenting a diverse palette of flavor combinations he’s discovered through travel – says his style of cooking is best described as “modern European with American influences” but is constantly evolving in his desire to stay innovative and explore new ideas. At Tydes, he has created a Mediterranean dining experience that captures the true essence of the restaurants’s unique setting. “My true goal is to explore the flavors of that part of the world in hopes of inspiring our diners to enjoy a broader combination of tastes, textures and colors,” he says."
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