Trey Hartinger's involvement with the culinary department at Congaree and Penn Farm and Mills is what he calls his most natural progression yet in his 15 year cooking career.

After being honorably discharged from the Marine Corps in 2004, Trey went on enroll in the culinary program at The Art Institute of California/San Diego. While attending school, he worked full-time to help open San Diego's renowned restaurant and nightclub Stingaree under Chef Antonion Friscia. It was under chef Friscia that Trey learned the aspects of being truly respectful to food and honoring it's source, as Friscia was beyond active in the Slow Food Urban chapter in San Diego. After working through the ranks of Stingaree, Trey had an opportunity to take over as the Chef de Cuisine at Restaurant at the Pearl Hotel at the age of 26.

At 29, Trey moved back to his hometown of Jacksonville, FL, where he assumed the role of Sous Chef at locally esteemed Marker 32. By the age of 31, Trey earned the Chef de Cuisine position and for 6 years pushed himself to mentor his staff and diners as to what it meant to be a locally sustainable food operation in Northeast Florida. Working closely with local growers and fish mongers, his menus changed weekly and featured native and seasonal products.

Now the Culinary Director at Congaree and Penn, Trey greatly enjoys the opportunity to be an ambassador of sustainability for Northeast Florida cultivars, along with the Owner and Chief Farmer, Scott Meyer.