Mark Bliss, Chef/Proprietor, Silo Elevated Cuisine, San Antonio, TX

RH Staff

Age: 38. Why he's rising: He produces knockout food at red-hot Silo, a unique concept whose second-floor balcony setting over-looks Farm to Market, a huge gourmet food store that occupies floor one and has just been purchased by Bliss. It's a destination dining spot for visiting chefs. Background: Joined noted chef Bruce Auden at Polo's at the Fairmount Hotel, where the pair put San Antonio on the nation's culinary map. Next he became chef de cuisine at Auden's Restaurant Biga, named one of the nation's top new restaurants by Esquire just after opening its doors in 1991. Cooking style: An eclectic seasonal menu he dubs "Bliss Food." Signature dish: Pan Roasted Chilean Sea Bass Wrapped with Parma Ham on Asparagus and Mushroom Risotto with a Mustard Herb Vinaigrette; Chicken Fried Oysters on Wilted Spinach with Applewood Smoked Bacon and Mustard Hollandaise. Mentor: Bruce Auden. What the critics say: "Stylish ambience and fusion cuisine dominate this hot spot tucked away on the second floor of a gourmet market. Mark Bliss offers an eclectic menu that makes choosing difficult."— Robin Barr Sussman. "Fans of fusion food are flocking to Silo, the Alamo city's sleek new dinner venue."—Rebecca Chasteney de Gery, Texas Monthly.