Alex YellanAlex Yellan

Alex was born in Phoenix, Arizona. While attending the University of Oregon he had his first formative food experience in Mexico studying abroad, and later embarked on a 9 month trip through Mexico, Central, and South America. His first cooking work came in Portland, Oregon where he developed as a cook in a Mexican restaurant, Jewish deli, and Thai kitchen. He then moved with his future wife Chandler to NYC where he was further schooled in farm to table dining before joining the opening team at Empellón Taqueria. Next up was helping open the NYC locations of the Pok Pok restaurants. After his first child was born, he and his family relocated to Charleston, where he put his experience in Mexican cuisine to use establishing Minero. Then he challenged himself as the opening chef de cuisine of the modern restaurant Tu before returning to Minero as executive chef. Alex served as opening chef of Tippling House and the Press before starting work on Colectivo. Alex and his wife live with their three children in West.