Executive Chef
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Knowledge of proper sanitation, food-handling, budget planning, inventory control and vendor compliances. Thorough understanding of operations, profit-and-loss principles, and staffing, with proven ability to increase profits and maintain an outstanding dining product. Creative, knowledgeable, and detail-oriented certified chef instructor.
Extensive experience training a full range of chefs, developing menus and recipes, and presenting culinary marketing programs in a variety of team-oriented environments. Reputation for making great culinary moments happen!
Executive Chef - Seascape Beach Resort - Aptos, California
(2023-05 - 2024-02)
Executive Chef of Sanderlings at Seascape Beach Resort responsible for overseeing all aspects of the resort's culinary operations. Worked with management in the creation of new product lines and menu items. Executed approved procedures, and techniques, while refining recipes.
Critiqued existing product lines and menu items for quality performance. Managed quality control review through daily formal evaluations of product qualities while ensuring the proper training of all kitchen professional staff of cooking, storage, and sanitation procedures.
Executive Chef/Owner - ChinaLatina by Chef Beni - Las Vegas, NV
(2019 - 2023)
Executive Chef of an inventive NYC style Asian cuisine with a flavorful, innovative, and artisanal Latin American flare. Voted into the best 50 restaurants to eat at in Las Vegas.
Executive Chef/Partner - Essence & Herbs Tapas Joint by Chef Beni - Lake Las Vegas, NV
(2016 - 2019)
Located in Montelago Village Resort, occupying 2000 square feet overlooking the water. E & H has a seating capacity of 50 with outside dining focused on small plates. The food draws from Latin & European influences with a Puerto Rican flavor profile, intended to enhance all the senses. My style of cooking has been rated as 1 of 1 by Zagat and categorized as Pan-Latin.
Executive Chef/Partner - Isabela's Tapas, Seafood & Grill by Chef Beni - Las Vegas, NV
(2014 - 2016)
Located on the lake in Desert Shores, occupying five thousand square feet overlooking the water. Isabela's has a seating capacity of 120. Voted best of Las Vegas 2015, top 10 hidden gems of Las Vegas serving eclectic Latin fusion seafood and tapas.
Executive Chef/Partner - Bar+Bistro Eclectic Latin Fusion Restaurant - Las Vegas, NV
(2010 - 2014)
Turned a 66-seat restaurant into an award-winning restaurant in one year. Bar+Bistro now has an outside serving patio along with one of the top 10 bars in Las Vegas. Seating capacity is now at about 180.
One of the top 8 brunches in Las Vegas and rated by Zagat. Everything is made in house with organic, local and sustainable products. I have also put in place what is considered one the best vegan menus in Las Vegas.
The menu is now unique with Latin flavors from around the world infused in a way that has never been done before.
Executive Chef - Stanford University Medical Center
(2008 - 2010)
In charge of all aspects of foodservice for patients, banquets, café and a 150-seat high end restaurant called the Bing.
Chef/Owner - STEELS Restaurant - Las Vegas, NV
(2007 - 2008)
Created a 200-seat steak, fish and tapas restaurant concept in Henderson Nevada. The restaurant concept, eclectic fusion steakhouse, STEELES was developed with the heart in mind. STEELES was conceived from my 20+ years of culinary experience.
Steakhouse with a twist, over 50 tapas hot and cold combining flavors from the Mediterranean and South America. Every menu item and recipe being one of a kind executed to perfection with 3-star rating. The check average went from $22 to about $36 in only 1 month.
Corporate Chef Trainer / Consultant - Creative Culinary Design - Costa Mesa, CA
(2004 - 2008)
Development of existing and new restaurant concepts worldwide. Responsible for the development of all menus and the selection of all vendors and purveyors. Conduct training for all restaurants for their back of the house personal, which includes but not limited to food safety, HACCP, operations, cooking, recipes, food presentations and product knowledge.
Executive Chef / Owner - Alexandria Mediterranean Tapas Grill - Los Angeles, CA
(2005 - 2006)
Created 150 seat Tapas and Mezzes restaurant concept in the San Fernando Valley. Designed and purchased all equipment for the kitchen in coordination with the restaurant manager also recruited and trained all back of the house staff in operations, cooking, recipes, food presentations and product knowledge. Received a 3 out of 4-star rating in food and service by Larry Lipson restaurant critic for the Los Angeles Daily News within the first two months of operation along with acknowledgment as a great dining discovery in the Tolucan Times by Mr.
Blackwell.
Executive Chef - Ciudad Restaurant - Los Angeles, CA
(2004 - 2005)
Overseeing of all kitchen and banquet operations of the restaurant while responsible for all food and labor costs. Implemented culinary cross training of all staff in back of house operations and the development and execution of a food safety program such as sanitation walk through and temperature monitoring. Worked hand in hand with Chef Owners and Television personalities, Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger.
Corporate Executive Chef/ Director of Culinary Operations - UCLA Restaurants - Los Angeles, CA
(2000 - 2004)
Provided executive-level support to Division-wide quality assurance, food development, and customer satisfaction. Oversaw the Commissary Kitchen, Training Table, Café Synapse, Champions Club and future "Elite Division" operations. Solicited customer feedback through formal and informal surveys, one-on-one discussions, and product mix analysis as a basis for menu development.
Made recommendations for new concepts to complement, enhance, or replace existing product lines taking advantage of industry trends. While lending professional support to Catering staff on menu and products with direct involvement in the operations sales went from $400K to $1.5 million in 2 years' time.
Corporate Consulting Executive Chef / Chef Trainer / R&D Chef / Divisional Manager - Sodexho Marriott Services - Bethesda, MD
(1995 - 2000)
Traveled nationwide for this $6 billion nationally traded company, primarily to colleges and universities of which 85 were located on the east coast. Consulted in the Northeastern United States region concerning all aspects of company culinary developments. Also managed $65 million worth of regional business, while maintaining quality assurance and safety standards.
Hired and supervised personnel, trained chefs' company wide and through consulting contracts in various disciplines, and coordinated / monitored front and back-of-the-house operations and inventories.
Chef - Street Bar, Ritz Carlton Hotel - Boston, MA
(1993 - 1995)
Banquet Chef - Harvard Law School - Cambridge, MA
(1991 - 1992)
Chef Tournant - Four Seasons Hotel - Boston, MA
(1990 - 1991)
