Meet The Team

SILVER SWAN SUPERSTARS

COO for Queen Anne Marina & Silver Swan Bayside

David Andersen
Catering Sales Manager

Amanda Gygax

COO for Queen Anne Marina & Silver Swan Bayside

David Andersen

Catering Sales Manager

Amanda Gygax

Amanda Gygax has been a resident of the Eastern Shore since a very young age. Her thorough knowledge of Eastern Shore life makes her quite handy for planning your Eastern Shore weekend getaway. She has been in the service industry from the start, beginning at the Prospect Bay Country Club. She started her undergraduate studies in business attending Chesapeake College while continuing her practical experience in the service industry. She has been with Silver Swan since 2014 has worked her way from operations to sales, resulting in a grass roots knowledge of the event industry. Today, she assumes a sales and catering management position, and applies her years of experience to ensuring a smooth and seamless event. 

Kurt Peter

Ricky Rice

Austin Schwartz

Kurt Peter

Chef Kurt Peter was born and raised on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, and still can’t escape the adventure of his youth. His culinary education began by hunting and fishing in his own backyard and working at various private clubs and restaurants on the Eastern Shore. Chef Kurt a private chef for the yachting world. After earning degrees in Sports Management and Business at Lynchburg College,he decided to go to culinary school at the Hotel Culinary Arts and Tourism program at Anne Arundel Community College. He wanted to continue his education in the culinary field because he realized how much he loved applying his business degree in a more creative setting where he can serve people delicious creations. It’s during this time in college where he met Chef Shawn Harlan, and unknowingly to both, the partnership begun. Most recently prior to starting his own business, Chef Peter was the Executive Chef and Food and Beverage Director at the Westin Hotel and Azure Restaurant in Annapolis.

 

Now he is the executive chef and owner of Chesapeake Chef Service, a company dedicated to providing professional, yet personal and detail-oriented dining experiences for large parties to more intimate gatherings as well as educational programs and consulting with clients.

Chef Peter’s cooking style mirrors his passion for the outdoors, and he enjoys creating contemporary, yet rustic menus with the ingredients drawn fresh from the rivers and fields of Maryland. Unique and elegant presentations set Chef Peter’s dishes apart and elevate the farm-to-table experience for his guests. Ultimately, Chef Peter enjoys serving clients on a personal level and surprising them with creative masterpieces that stay true to the essence of Chesapeake Bay cuisine and the seasons

Ricky Rice

Raised in Pasadena, MD for the majority of his life, Chef Ricky grew up traveling often due to a military family, exposing him to a lot of different cultures and cuisines. Chef Ricky has an Associates of Science from HCAT at Anne Arundel Community College. Chef Ricky has studied abroad at Michelin starred Rossillinis in Ravello, Italy, Michelin starred La Sponda in Positano, Italy, CoGC in Glasgow, Scotland, and for Master Chef Wolfgang Kriegl in Stuttgart, Germany. Both of the Italian restaurants were part of Leading Hotels of the World (LHW) Properties. In 2016 Chef Ricky was the Sous Chef at the Westin Hotel in Annapolis, MD under Chef Kurt Peter. Following the Westin, he then was the Chef de Cuisine of banquets & catering as well as multiple food and beverage outlets at the Don CeSar Hotel in St. Pete Beach, FL until 2019.

Chef Ricky likes to adapt to the progression of culinary techniques, flavor concepts, and styles, while still respecting the foundations of the classics. He is also a former MD Prostart mentor for high school students who are given the opportunity to win scholarships to culinary institutions of their choice

Austin Schwartz

Coming from farm country in northeast Pennsylvania, Chef Austin experienced the love for cooking at a young age. He would often help his mother and grandmother in the kitchen preparing Pennsylvania-Dutch cuisine. Chef Austin’s first job in a kitchen was at his mother’s friend’s restaurant and started as a prep cook. As he grew older, Chef Austin has worked his way up through the culinary ranks. Euro & Yakitori in Boca Raton; SEI, in Washington D.C.; Famous Dave’s, in Columbia have all contributed to his culinary journey. Half way through his tenure at Famous Dave’s, Chef Austin started dabbling in private chef services. This outlet allowed him to start developing a more creative mindset and the need to push himself. This forced him to learn how to market himself with social media, as well as become proficient with food photography.

Chef Austin found an opening Chef position at Chesapeake Chef service in May, 2021 and joined the team by June, 2021

Chesapeake Catering

Our exclusive, in-house caterer, Chesapeake Chef Service is setting the new standard for quality wedding food.  This up and coming catering company has found a new home at Silver Swan, bringing you the highest quality of wedding cuisine.  

Chesapeake Chef Service, or CCS,  will prepare delicious and elegant, locally-sourced cuisine. Provide your cherished guests with not just a meal, but an amazing experience that will leave them speechless. Your menu will feature locally sourced ingredients and will be prepared with the attention, creativity, and thoughtfulness that you deserve.