At the age of 18, Steve, an entrepreneur and now an accomplished chef, started a food manufacturing company. His company allowed him to travel throughout Central and South America and experience the uniqueness and warmth of its many different cultures. It was during the side trips from work to the roadside stands, small town outdoor cafes, and fine restaurants from Michiocan to Garca Garcaria, that his passion for Mexican style food grew. During one of those adventures, Steve envisioned creating a unique restaurant back home with the same fresh eclectic Mexican food found on his trips, combined with his love for fitness and natural and organic foods.

In 1992, Steve sold his highly successful manufacturing business to Chiquita Banana and devoted himself full-time to realizing his dream. Soon afterward, he opened his first Sharky's Mexican Grill in Sherman Oaks with a promise to serve delicious food like those found on his trips and that also promoted the benefits of healthy living. Steve developed a unique menu and insisted on healthy ingredients and cooking styles that respected the essence and origins of the foods he was creating.

The choices for ingredient were easy: natural beef, poultry, and seafood grilled fresh over imported mesquite. Certified organic beans and rice made without the use of lard, MSG or shortening plus salsas prepared fresh daily using the finest hand picked produce available.

Steve's hard work paid off as word spread about Sharky's with its inviting atmosphere, excellent service, and one of kind delicious healthy and natural meals. Renowned food critics also agreed and soon afterward Sharky's was honored with the highest rating ever given to a Mexican Grill.

Today, despite much success and the requests to rapidly expand, Sharky's future is instead one of steady growth and consistency. Steve knows that continued success depends on maintaining the high level of standards and hands-on attention that Sharky's is known for. This hands-on attention to detail is the essence of every Sharky's and is instilled at each new store by Steve and a selected group of Sharky's employees, who make sure training for each new store is thorough and consistent.

With his commitment to the continuing growth of the "Sharky's" lifestyle, Steve's vision by "Changing The Way The World Eats" is becoming a reality day by day. Since 1992, Sharky's has evolved both in style and product, but the essential spirit and ambience of every restaurant is closely tied to Steve's original vision of preparing the best tasting Mexican style food using organic and natural ingredients combined with the promise of excellence and satisfaction toward each guest.

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