Tyler Reiner
Tyler Reiner’s love for food started at a very young age. As the child of an ordained Reverend and career missionaries, he lived a nomadic life, discovering early on that food was one of his few constants. By age four, he already knew he wanted to become a chef. After his family moved to Costa Rica when he was in third grade, his curiosity for new flavors developed, starting him on the path of global cuisine.
Rather than following in his parents’ footsteps, Tyler accomplished the 4 year olds dream and graduated from Scottsdale Culinary Institute, Le Cordon Bleu in 2002. He spent the next five years working in fine dining in Moran,Wyoming, Ketchum(Sun Valley) and McCall, Idaho.
As a young chef, he found himself living in a world very different from the one he grew up in. In just two years, he went from helping his parents in one of Costa Rica’s largest squatter communities to cooking for global politicians, dignitaries and celebrities. He eventually moved back to California and focused on using his culinary skills to help others.He managed food service programs in drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers, an assisted living and memory care community, and most recently, The Teen Kitchen Project’s medically tailored meal program.
Circle & Square is a passion project focused on seasonality, intentionality and intuitive cooking while celebrating beautiful Corralitos in the Pajaro Valley. The menu changes weekly and his kitchen is currently operated as a non-brigade kitchen, as he is the only cook. The menu changes weekly and is designed to foster an inclusive dining experience that allows nearly anyone to enjoy a multicourse meal despite most dietary restrictions,aversions and common allergies.
Circle & Square Bistro opened in August of 2025 and have won the following awards and nominations:
2026 Best New Restaurant-Runner Up,Santa Cruz Sentinel
First place in the 2026 Inaugural Santa Cruz Vegan Chef Challenge
Pajaro Valley Best of 2026:
11 nominations and 8 winning categories
1 Gold-Best Vegan/Vegetarian Dishes
5 Silver
2 bronze
Nomination for “Favorite New Restaurant” Lookout List 2026
Guest Chef:
2026 Rooted, Fall Feast in the Fields benefitting Farm Discovery at Live Earth Farm Dinner