TEAM
Nicolas Martinez
EXECUTIVE CHEF
Chef Nicolas Martinez’s talent and work ethic has made him a driving force and a contributing factor to the success of Market Restaurant.
Raised in North County San Diego, Nicolas received his culinary degree in 2006 from Le Cordon Blue San Francisco Culinary Institute.
After graduating in 2006, he returned to San Diego, California. After working in local restaurants, in 2008 he accepted a position working with Carl Schroeder at Market Restaurant + Bar.
Chef Martinez’s longevity at Market Restaurant + Bar reflects more than experience. It speaks to his loyalty, standards and philosophy of the restaurant. His dishes balance technique with an approachable sensibility and honoring of the season. Nicolas’s commitment remains to the respect of the ingredients, to the craft and to never stop evolving.
Mark valin
General Manager & Wine Director
Mark Valin is a San Diego native. He worked his first restaurant jobs bussing tables and serving the odd breakfast shift in between college courses.
In 2002 he accepted a position at the newly built Bridges at Rancho Santa Fe. Mark was part of the team brought on by the developer to establish The Bridges as one of California’s premier private country clubs. He rose through the ranks rapidly in his first 10 years working every position from busser, bartender, events lead, wait captain, sommelier and manager
Mark was promoted to Food & Beverage Director from 2011-2016. During that time, he oversaw the Club’s four outlets, its events and catering business and continued to personally run The Bridges wine program. He successfully managed Board-led performance targets for The Bridges’ transition from a private developer-owned property to member owned club.
In 2017 he shifted his focus from operations to wine when he became the Director of Wine & Spirits. Mark overhauled The Bridges’ wine program hosting weekly wine tastings, dinners, monthly private comparative seminars, and trips to wine country. He managed private collections and oversaw rare wine procurement for dozens of high-end events with wines such as DRC, Leroy, Haut-Brion, Mouton, Salon, Krug and Gaja.
Concurrently in 2017, Mark began work on launching a certified organically farmed winery in the mountains north of Fallbrook. He and his partners planted and developed 30 acres of Rhone and Sicilian varieties. Mark helped develop the wine making methods, farming practices and house style appropriate to the region. He designed the labels and logos and developed their wholesale distribution and delivery programs. Mark opened hundreds of accounts across Southern California, helped manage their tasting room, hosted trade visits and held dozens of tastings events for clients.
Mark has a diploma from the International Sommelier Guild and a diploma from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET). He has served as a judge and has hosted events over the years at Pebble Beach Food & Wine, LA Food & Wine and most recently Del Mar Wine & Food Festivals.
As a long-time patron of MARKET Restaurant + Bar, Mark was honored to join the team in the Fall of 2025. He is very excited to leverage his experience and help lead
MARKET into its next chapter.
