Mark Plescha
Charcoal BYOB | Yardley, PA
October 2019
Eric Plescha grew up inside his father’s restaurant, Charcoal Steaks N’ Things, in Yardley, Pennsylvania. Along with his brother Mark, he would run through the kitchen, talk to customers, and help out wherever he could. While attending Bucks County Community College, Plescha studied business management and completed a chef apprenticeship at his father’s urging. But when the family restaurant closed for renovations in 2006, Plescha decided to try his hand in the music business. Although he had always been a musician, he attempted to break into production and engineering in Hoboken, New Jersey, just outside New York City. When the restaurant re-opened in 2008 under the name Charcoal BYOB, Eric and Mark decided to return to the restaurant full time.
Upon reopening, the brothers took control of the dinner shift, giving the restaurant a more experimental feel with modern gastronomic creations. Along with their Sous Chef Jared Remer, the Plescha family sources locally as much as possible and uses modern techniques to transform seasonal ingredients for an increasingly adventurous population. In addition to helping craft the savory menu, Plescha is responsible for the desserts. Their global but Italian leaning menu has a standout “Noodles” section with fun and inventive pastas. The Plescha brothers were invited to cook at the James Beard House in 2018.
