COREY W. HEYER
Executive Chef, The Bernards Inn

Although Corey Heyer realized his passion for cooking and fine cuisine at a relatively young age, his future became clear when he decided at age 19 to dedicate himself and his work to becoming a Chef. After spending a year learning the basics of the culinary world at Mistral's in Manchester, Vermont, Corey returned to New Jersey to accept a position at the Bluffs in his hometown of Bay Head. He was quickly promoted to the position of Sous Chef, and he then decided it was time to enroll at the Culinary Institute of America where he could build a strong foundation for his career.

While attending school, Corey fulfilled his externship at The Frog and the Peach in New Brunswick, NJ and also had the good fortune of working at Restaurant Daniel in NYC under the well-known Chef Daniel Boulud. In 1996, Corey graduated with high honors and with dreams for his future endeavors.

Following his graduation, Corey began working at the Fromagerie in Rumson, NJ. With hard work and determination, he obtained the Executive Chef position after just one year. During his four years with the highly acclaimed restaurant, they were bestowed with the "America's Top Tables" award from Gourmet , "The Best of the Best" and "Best French" in the New Jersey Monthly's reader's choice awards, AAA's Four Diamond award, as well as Mobil's Four Star award. Chef Heyer also had the honor and privilege of hosting two James Beard dinners for both Julia Child and Jacques Pepin. Although Corey enjoyed a very rewarding tenure at the Fromagerie, he resigned in order to broaden his horizons and hone his skills in New York City.

Chef Heyer was in search of the finest kitchens and most diverse ventures. It is therefore no wonder that he chose to work under such great chefs as Jean-Georges Vongerichten in his namesake restaurant as well as Vong and Mercer Kitchen, and Tom Colicchio at Gramercy Tavern. Corey also spent time working with other celebrated chefs such as Wayne Nish at March, Rocco DiSpirito at Union Pacific and Floyd Cardoz at Tabla to name a few. While he learned a tremendous amount at each restaurant, his journey once again led him back to New Jersey after being sought out as the opening chef of Restaurant Nicholas in Middletown.

Within the first year of opening, and consistently for the next four years, Chef Heyer garnered four star reviews and accolades from The New York Times, The Star Ledger, New Jersey Monthly, The Asbury Park Press and the Zagat Survey. He once again achieved "Best of the Best" status in the eyes of the New Jersey Monthly's readers for the past three years in addition to "Best New American" cuisine.

During the summer of 2004, Chef Heyer's move to The Bernards Inn was the topic of many culinary websites and forums and writers and reviewers were anxious to see how he would impact The Inn. Most recently The Star Ledger garnered The Inn four stars with a headline of "The Bernards Inn Improves on Perfection" and named The Bernards Inn to the Top 10 Restaurants for 2004.  The Artful Diner also named The Bernards Inn to the Top Ten for 2004 with these accolades, "There is no question that the Bernards Inn is one of the most romantically imbued culinary experiences the Garden State has to offer…Chef Corey Heyer's contemporary American cuisine, is like the sophisticated surroundings, stylish but decidedly understated."  The Courier News also bestowed a four-star rating saying… "The Bernards Inn is in a League of Their Own."

Over the years, Corey Heyer has also been featured in GQ Magazine, New Jersey Countryside and as well as on News 12 New Jersey. The James Beard Foundation has recognized him for Outstanding Contributions, and he enjoys directing his culinary efforts to other worthy causes such as A Dinner of Hope, the Foodbank of Monmouth & Ocean Counties, and the Big Brothers Big Sisters Foundation His inspiration has always remained with the seasonal ingredients he obtains from local purveyors, along with the satisfaction of creating the most enjoyable experience for each guest.

Corey makes his home with his wife Donna and son Logan in Ocean County.