Charlie Ayers

Charlie is best known as, “the chef who fed Google.” It was a job he won in a cook-off in 1999, judged by the company’s then 40 employees. By the time he left Google in 2005, his team of five chefs and 150 employees were serving 4,000 lunches and dinners a day at the company’s headquarters in Mountain View, CA.

Ayers was the guy who started serving free, gourmet meals to Googlers and after six years with Google, he did the same for other tech companies. He was hired by places like Facebook and Youtube to do similar programs. At the same time, Charlie opened Calafia Café & Market A Go Go in Palo Alto, CA. His concept epitomizes the idea that “being green” is good for the producer, consumer, environment and local community. A former private chef and (still) personal chef to the Grateful Dead, Charlie continues to consult for startup companies, cater private events and coordinate food service and backstage catering teams at open air music festivals.

Charlie has published a cookbook, Food 2.0: Secrets from the Chef that Fed Google, that exemplifies his culinary vision. In May, 2014 Charlie received an honorary doctorate degree from his alma mater, Johnson & Wales University for his contributions to the culinary arts. He brings this same pioneering spirit to his work with the Chowbotics team, ensuring that Chowbotics robots produce delicious food that is good for the people they serve and the world around them.