Sean Poplar

A native of Southern California, professional chef Sean Poplar has spent more than half a decade honing his culinary skills in fine dining establishments throughout Los Angeles. Most recently serving as the executive chef to sister restaurants Barbarella Bar & Kitchen and Bugatta Restaurant and Bar, Poplar previously worked with famed chef Mark Todd Miller at the West Hollywood location of his bicoastal chain of STK restaurants. Among other notable mentors, Sean Poplar has also apprenticed for his uncle, a Culinary Institute of America alum and the owner of Italian fine dining restaurant Villa Banca. Poplar's formal education includes a degree from the elite Le Cordon Bleu program at the California School of Culinary Arts, currently known by the title of Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts, Los Angeles.

Sean Poplar's well-diversified background includes training in classic French cooking techniques as well as contemporary practices such as farm-to-table food preparation. He has honed his interested in locally sourced and ecologically conscious cuisine in several of his positions, including the design of several vegan and vegetarian menus for Bugatta Restaurant and Bar and Barbarella Bar & Kitchen. During his move from the East Coast back to California in 2006, Poplar made a cross-country tour of farmer's markets along his route, acquainting himself with the local produce from a variety of regions.

In addition to the culinary expertise that he has accrued in his various posts, Sean Poplar also has extensive experience as a restaurant manager and team leader. In his work from 2010 to 2012 as executive chef for Bugatta Restaurant and Bar and Barbarella Bar & Kitchen, Poplar maintained comprehensive logistical and operational responsibilities for the kitchen as well as his menu-design duties. Sean Poplar also hired and mentored new staff and networked extensively in the local community to enhance relations with both vendors and clientele.