From washing dishes at a fine dining Italian restaurant in Williamstown, MA, at just fourteen years old, Chef Uel has dedicated over two decades to mastering the art of cooking.

After honing his skills on the kitchen line in Bar Harbor, Chef Uel moved to Washington, DC in 2008, where he spent eight formative years working under culinary legends like José Andrés—who received the James Beard Foundation Award for Who's Who of Food and Beverage in 2008—Eric Ziebold, who won the James Beard Award for Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic, and the world-renowned Jean-Georges Vongerichten. These experiences, marked by mentorship from such celebrated chefs, inspired him to push the boundaries of his craft.

In 2015, Chef Uel moved to Rio de Janeiro to work at two standout restaurants: Lasai and Olympe. At Lasai, a Michelin-starred restaurant known for using exclusively local ingredients, he gained a deep respect for regional sourcing—a philosophy that now shapes his work at Brasserie Le Brun. During his time there, Lasai ranked in the top 20 of Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants. At Olympe, another Michelin-starred establishment, Chef Uel sharpened his French culinary skills, which have become central to his style.

After Brazil, Chef Uel headed to San Francisco, where he worked at Saison (another Michelin-starred spot) and Situ at SFMOMA, continuing to refine his approach to modern, inventive cooking.

In 2019, he became Executive Sous Chef at Angel Oak at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara in Santa Barbara, CA, and later took on the same role at Café Boulud Blantyre in Lenox, MA.

Now back in Bar Harbor, ME, Chef Uel brings together everything he’s learned—from French technique to global flavors— while staying connected to the local community and ingredients that first inspired him.