As Chef/Creative Director of the Sterrato Collective, Thomas Malz brings over two and a half decades of extensive culinary ops, r&d, and concept development experience, along with a large dose of gastronomic nerd-dom, to Sterrato Italian Specialties, Anjin, and Sterrato Delivery Service.

At 14, Malz began his career working in various restaurants, diners, and bed & breakfasts in northern New England’s Hill Country, working his way up from a dishwasher to a line cook. Graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, Malz spent formative years as a line cook at James Beard Award winning restaurant Cochon in New Orleans, and the Greenbrier resort in West Virginia under CMC Rich Rosendale, before holding multiple chef positions with Isabella Concepts in Washington DC. In 2016, Thomas and wife Megan opened Custom Deluxe in Biddeford, ME, garnering national attention and awards from Downeast Magazine, Eater, Food and Wine, Bon Apetit, and several others.

In 2018, Malz earned a nod as Chef de Cuisine at Brothers and Sisters at the Line Hotel in Washington DC, landing on Bon Apetit’s 50 Best New Restaurants in America list.

In 2023, The Carpenter Hotel was chosen by Forbes as Best Hotel for Foodies in Austin with Thomas at the helm as executive chef. This is where Thomas and Bartho first met, becoming fast friends and partners in crime, leading to the debut of the Sterrato Collective in late 2023.

Malz’s cuisine is heavily influenced by the farmers, small batch producer, and blue collar workers that make up America's agricultural industry, as well as his familial roots in Quebec and northern New England- prizing ingredients over self congratulatory techniques, celebrating flavor and locality over exclusivity, and preferring recognition of the farmers and producers over himself.