In just four years, Chef Brian Malarkey has created eight wildly successful restaurants across the United States, with more expansion plans on the way within the next year. Under the management of Hakkasan Group - a worldwide entertainment, dining, nightlife and hospitality company - Malarkey's restaurants include Searsucker (San Diego, Del Mar, Austin, Las Vegas) and Herringbone (La Jolla and Los Angeles). He is also the owner/operator of two healthy, fast-casual restaurants in San Diego called Green Acre, each with an organic garden, and has two brand new concepts coming to San Diego's Little Italy neighborhood in 2015.

Each restaurant opened to rave reviews, including Time Magazine naming Searsucker the country's #2 Hottest Restaurant. Malarkey currently has two restaurants on Open Table's list of the "Top 100 Hot Spots in America" (Searsucker San Diego and Herringbone La Jolla). Searsucker San Diego was also included on Gayot's "Hot 40 List of Restaurants." This past year, Malarkey was also invited to cook at the James Beard Award Dinner for the world's most acclaimed chefs. 

Alongside Anthony Bourdain, Nigella Lawson and Ludo Lefebvre, Malarkey was the winning judge/mentor on ABC's "The Taste" Season 1. A past "Top Chef" finalist (Season 3, Miami), Malarkey has guest starred and judged several series on the Food Network ("Guy's Grocery Games," "Rachael vs. Guy: Kids Cook-Off," "Chopped All-Stars," "Cutthroat Kitchen"), TLC, Travel Channel, Bravo, OWN and more. Malarkey headlines food and wine festivals across the country with cooking demos and book signings of his most recent cookbook, "Come Early, Stay Late."

Growing up on a ranch in Oregon, and spending summers enjoying the fresh seafood on the coast, Malarkey discovered his love for food and cooking at a young age, which would eventually lead him to enroll in Le Cordon Bleu in Portland. Prior to opening his first restaurant, Malarkey held positions at several marquee restaurants in Los Angeles, including Chef Michel Richard's Citrus. Soon after, he was hired by The Oceanaire Seafood Room and opened their San Diego location as executive chef/partner, where he garnered more than 60 industry awards in five years.