Executive Chef
The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa (Scottsdale, AZ)

Leading the imaginative culinary experience at The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa is, Executive Chef and Arizona Native, Todd Berry. Known for his inventive regional cuisine, Berry leads a team of nearly 100 members charged with servicing Nellie Cashman's Monday Club Café, J. Swilling's Pool Bar & Grill, The Rim, Waltz & Weizer Saloon, Coffee Flats and Snowbowls, Brittlebush Bar & Grill, and Deseo, a specialty restaurant inspired by Nuevo Latino inventor Douglas Rodriguez. Berry also oversees all banquet events for the Resort, which offers more than 175,000 square feet of indoor/outdoor meeting space.

Berry is known for his creative execution, forward-thinking approach to cooking and strong desire to teach and mentor his staff. Berry joined the Westin Kierland team in April of 2006 as head of the resort’s banquet department. He was quickly noticed for his ability to keep cool under pressure and for possessing a natural talent and pure passion for cooking. He also gained a reputation for having a genuine interest in the happiness and success of all his team members.

Prior to joining The Westin Kierland Resort, Berry served as Executive Chef at both the Sheraton Grand Sacramento and Hidden Meadow Ranch in Greer, Ariz. Other previous experience includes the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale at Gainey Ranch, where he worked for 11 years, the Hotel Westcourt in Scottsdale and the French Corner, also in Scottsdale.

Executive Chef/Owner
Drago Centro (Santa Monica, CA)

Chef Celestino Drago has played an integral role in the ever-evolving dining scene in Los Angeles for over two decades. Hailing from Sicily, Celestino has become one of the city's and the country's most lauded Italian chefs, with honors ranging from Food & Wine Magazine selecting him as a “Best New Chef” to being an invited guest chef at the James Beard House in New York on multiple occasions. From his affable demeanor to his inventive and delicious takes on Italian fare, Chef Celestino Drago has helped lay the groundwork for Italian cuisine in America today.

Before launching his restaurant empire in Southern California, Celestino attended mechanical school in Italy while simultaneously working at a restaurant in the city of Pisa called Pierino. It was there that realized he “loved everything about the restaurant business.” Recognizing his culinary potential, the chef at Pierino worked closely with him and, in just three short years, Celestino took over as chef.

In 1979, Celestino was hired as chef at Los Angeles Italian restaurant, Orlando Orsini, prompting him to leave Italy to embark upon a new culinary career in the United States. After working at Orlando Orsini, Celestino worked at Spectrum Foods before opening his first restaurant, Celestino, in Beverly Hills. After receiving high praise, he was encouraged to open another restaurant, Drago, on bustling Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica. Drago was met with rave reviews and has consistently been rated in the top 5 Italian restaurants in Los Angeles since its opening. It was Celestino's success at Drago that led to his subsequent ventures which include his artisanal bakery, Dolce Forno, the quintessential neighborhood restaurant, Enoteca Drago, the more upscale eatery, Il Pastaio, in Beverly Hills and most recently, Drago Centro in Downtown Los Angeles and the upcoming Osteria Drago in Newport Beach, CA.

Celestino’s cuisine is deeply rooted in his childhood home in Sicily and since his arrival in Los Angeles; he has been delighting diners with dishes that hearken back to his home country―dishes imbued with the heritage and authenticity of true Italian fare. Celestino has been touted as one of the Best Italian Chefs in the United States by Bon Appétit and Los Angeles Times Restaurant Critic S. Irene Virbila has called Celestino, "one of the best-known Italian restaurateurs in Southern California."

At Drago Centro, located in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles, Chef Celestino Drago is giving his classic Italian techniques a contemporary flair befitting the chic environs of the stunning 9,500 square-foot restaurant where he combines exceptional food, unparalleled service, and a beautiful setting, making it one of the top fine dining destinations in Los Angeles.

Lola (Great Neck, NY)

Michael Aeyal Ginor is co-founder and Chef of Hudson Valley Foie Gras, the most comprehensive Foie Gras producer in the world. Michael, with his partner Izzy Yanay, modernized the ancient delicacy known to Pharos and kings by utilizing the hi-tech and scientifically advanced production techniques of the twentieth century. Production is now a unified, controlled and consistent operation based on nature, nurture, and technology. It is a closed, independent production system where the duck and the egg both come first!

Michael was born in Seattle, Washington, in 1963. He is a graduate of Brandeis University and studied for an MBA at New York University. After four years on Wall Street as a Senior Vice-President with David Lerner Associates he decided to take a revolutionary step: having been born to Israeli expatriates living in America, in 1988 Michael joined the Israeli Defense Forces. He served as a patrol-commanding Captain in the Gaza Strip and as the Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson. It was in Israel that Michael first discovered the potential of modern-age Foie Gras processing. Michael pursued his dream by establishing what is today the major Foie Gras producer in the United States. The company distributes its moulard duck products through a network of distributors extending throughout the United States, and beyond.

HVFG has received the 1993 Gold Merit Award from Chefs in America and the 1996 Award for Excellence from The James Beard Foundation. In 1996, HVFG received the Five Star Diamond Award from the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences and the 1998 Award of Excellence from the American Tasting Institute. Michael has served as Honorary Event Chairman for the Spinazzola Foundation and the Cystic Fibrosis Fund. In May 1996, Michael received the first Olive Branch Award from the Jewish National Fund for humanitarian and professional achievements. He was honored with the 1997 Angel Award from The James Beard Foundation for dedication, contribution and foresight and in 1998, Michael received the American Master Taster Award from the American Tasting Institute. Both Michael and Izzy Yanay were inducted into the James Beard Foundation Who's Who of Food and Beverage.

While HVFG is the bedrock of Michael’s pursuits, since 1990, Michael has dedicated his time to the many facets of the culinary world, including product development, creating and organizing gourmet and charitable events, workshops and demonstrations. Thus, Hudson Valley Foie Gras is committed to and is associated with: The James Beard Foundation, where Michael serves as a member of the National advisory Board, The Culinary Institute of America, New England Culinary Institute, Meals on Wheels, Share Our Strength, The Robert Mondavi Master Chefs Program, The Television Food Network, The Masters of Food and Wine, The St. Mortiz Food & Wine Festival, Singapore World Gourmet Summit, and the Bangkok World Gourmet Festival among numerous others.

Michael is also founder of Culinary Brainwaves which consults to the gourmet food industry. He has worked with Rio Suite Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas; Hyatt International; The Regent Group; The Four Seasons Group; Shangri-La Sheraton International; Inter-Continental and the Disney Corporation. He inaugurated the Food and Wine Festivals for Club-Med International.

Michael organizes culinary events and festivals worldwide. By bringing together celebrated American chefs and local chefs, Michael helps to create an intercultural culinary exchange program, which introduces American ingredients and techniques to world markets. Such events have been organized in Argentina, Canada, Chile, Great Britain, Finland, Hong Kong, Israel, Mexico, Russia, Singapore, and Thailand.

Michael is a food and travel contributor to such stellar publications as Food Arts Magazine; The James Beard Magazine; Art Culinaire; Coffee & Cuisine; Singapore’s Cuisine Scene and Great Britain’s Great Hospitality. His cookbook, the internationally acclaimed Foie Gras…A Passion, is a comprehensive reference book accompanied by 84 recipes, received the prestigious 1999 Prix la Mazille for best international cookbook of the year from the International Cookbook Revue in Versailles.

Michael, along with Chef Ken Oringer launched Boston’s La Verdad, a casual Mexican Taqueria and restaurant, which has already been awarded “The Best Casual Mexican Restaurant in the US” by Bon Appetit Magazine and “One of the best 100 Restaurant in the US” by Food and Wine Magazine.

In July 2007 Michael opened TLV in Great Neck, NY, a Mediterranean restaurant which is garnishing critical acclaim and has received three stars from Newsday – “An oasis of serious food…. by culinary luminary Michael Ginor” as well as “best new restaurant (Long Island) 2008’. It received a Zagat “most notabl” distinguish in 2009. In September 2009 Michael opened “Lola”, a new personal cuisine restaurant, also in Great Neck, NY. Lola is already being hailed as one of Long Island’s best restaurants.

deseo at The Westin Kierland Resort, Spa & Villas (Scottsdale, AZ)

Born in Northern Mexico, Chef Roberto Madrid specializes in Southwest cooking with an emphasis on using locally-grown produce and indigenous recipes. Madrid was part of Chef Anton Brunbauer’s opening culinary team and is Chef de Cuisine of the resort’s signature restaurant, deseo. Madrid began his culinary career in Scottsdale in 1982, studying under Chef Tony Fogo at The White Truffle, a French fine-dining restaurant in Scottsdale. He then moved to Jean Carlo to master fine Italian cuisine and spent six years with well-known Chef Michael Salvagio at Steven’s, helping to build the foundation of modern Southwestern cuisine. After opening The Terrace restaurant at The Phoenician Resort & Spa, Madrid joined the newly opened Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort at Gainey Ranch in 1986, where he helped developed The Golden Swan into one of the Southwest’s powerhouses of Mediterranean cuisine.

Executive Chef
A Voce (New York, NY)

In the fall of 2008, Executive Chef Missy Robbins joined the team at A Voce where she has received critical acclaim for creating classic Italian specialties with a contemporary twist, executed with subtle flair and an elegance that is innate. Her cuisine focuses on simplicity, highlighting flavorful ingredients and referencing traditions from diverse regions throughout Italy. It has been the influence of Missy’s diverse past experiences that led her to lead the kitchen at one of New York City’s most respected restaurants.

It was shortly before graduating from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. in 1993 that Missy Robbins turned her passion for food into a career when she took a part-time job at 1789 restaurant; she was hooked. In October 1994, Robbins moved to Manhattan, where she studied at one of the nation’s premier culinary career training centers, Peter Kump’s New York School of Cooking (now The Institute of Culinary Education). An externship at March Restaurant followed, where she worked for renowned Chef Wayne Nish, before moving on to Arcadia, where she worked under Chef Anne Rosenzweig. In spring 1995, a position opened at March and Missy could not resist the opportunity to return to her esteemed training ground. She stayed for two years before she was wooed away again by Rosenzweig, this time to work at The Lobster Club as a sous chef. Robbins helped run the kitchen there for two more years while developing her creative side, sharpening her leadership skills and gaining insight into the business operations of a restaurant.

To further the breadth of her culinary experience, Robbins decided to embark on an excursion to Northern Italy, where she worked in several kitchens, ranging from family-run rustic trattorias in Tuscany to the Guide Michelin–rated Agli Amici in Friuli. As she became intimate with Italian products and cooking, Robbins grew to love the simplicity, regional inspiration and focus on ingredients that characterize Italian food.

Upon her return to the United States, Robbins became a sous chef and later the chef de cuisine at the boutique SoHo Grand Hotel. Eager to celebrate her appreciation for the simplicity of Italian cuisine, Robbins found herself easily lured to Chicago in 2003 by the opportunity to work with one of the nation’s few four-star Italian chefs, Tony Mantuano, at the highly acclaimed Spiaggia. As Executive Chef of Spiaggia and Café Spiaggia, Robbins found an ideal opportunity to bring her ardor for Italian cooking to life. She was responsible for menu development and leading the kitchen on a daily basis and continually evolved the restaurant’s menu in new directions that capture the essence of regional Italian cuisine.

Robbins has garnered both local and national attention for her cooking. In 2005, Starchefs.com named Robbins one of Chicago’s Ten Rising Star Chefs of the Year. She was also the recipient of the Most Promising Chef Award, given by journalist William Rice in conjunction with the Chicago Wine & Food Festival. In addition, Missy was honored with an induction into the Institute of Culinary Education’s Hall of Fame in autumn 2005, and Restaurant Hospitality named her a Rising Star Chef in December 2005. During her tenure at Spiaggia, the restaurant was nominated by The James Beard Foundation for Outstanding Restaurant nationally in both 2006 and 2007, and for Outstanding Service in 2008. Robbins will also oversee the A Voce at the Time Warner Center, set to open in September 2009.

Alma de Cuba (Philadelphia, PA),
D. Rodriguez Cuba (Miami, FL),
Ola at Sanctuary (Miami, FL),
deseo at The Westin Kierland Resort, Spa & Villas (Scottsdale, AZ)

Regarded as the inventor of Nuevo Latino cuisine, Chef Rodriguez’s westward dining venture landed him in Scottsdale at The Westin Kierland. deseo, which means “desire” in Spanish,” offers authentic Latin-influenced dishes in an upbeat atmosphere featuring a full exhibition ceviche bar as well as floor-to-ceiling windows with vast views of the mountains.

Douglas Rodriguez is one of America’s most honored chefs. He has owned some of the hottest restaurants in the country including: Chicama, Pipa and OLA (Of Latin America) in New York City, OLA Miami, and Alma de Cuba in Philadelphia. Educated at Johnson & Wales University, Rodriguez’ professional career began in Miami. In 1994 he opened New York’s Patria, garnering three stars from the New York Times in 1996. Awards and honors include the Chefs of America Award (1991), Culinary Master of North American and New York Award (1994), the James Beard Foundation’s “Rising Star Chef Awards” (1996), and a nomination for Beard's 1999 Best Chef: New York.

Rodriguez is also the author of four cookbooks published by Ten Speed Press: Nuevo Latino, Latin Ladles, Latin Flavors on the Grill, and his most recent release, The Great Ceviche Book.

Executive Chef
Alex at the Wynn (Las Vegas)
Corsa Cucina & Bar at the Wynn (Las Vegas, NV)

Award-winning Chef Alessandro Stratta showcases his talents at Wynn Las Vegas as executive chef of both his namesake restaurants—ALEX, featuring French cuisine of the Riviera, and STRATTA, which highlights rustic Italian-American fare. For the second year in a row, ALEX was awarded two stars in the 2009 Las Vegas Michelin Guide and is one of only 20 restaurants in North America to receive this distinction. In 2005, ALEX was selected as one of the “Best New Restaurants in America” by Esquire magazine and in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 it was recognized by AAA as a Five-Diamond restaurant and by Mobil as a Five-Star restaurant, one of only three in Las Vegas.

“I am delighted to have such consistent success at Wynn,” says Stratta. “Their commitment to excellence is unparalleled in this industry and I am so fortunate to be part of the team. Having the opportunity to work with two unique restaurants has allowed me to grow as a chef and cook the food that I have always wanted to.”

The menu at ALEX presents the refined cuisine of various regions in France, enhanced by only the finest and freshest ingredients. In an undeniably elegant setting, ALEX also extends genuine hospitality, reflecting the chef’s commitment to offering guests the ultimate in gracious dining. In addition to his impressive seasonal menus, Chef Stratta offers a truly sophisticated vegetable tasting menu and another centered around the great wines of France.

Chef Stratta’s creativity and mastery of rustic Italian-American specialties is featured at STRATTA, which serves as an ideal spot for guests at Wynn Las Vegas to enjoy an evening in a welcoming, yet chic and urbane setting. Chef Stratta’s traditional menu is a culinary map of Italy, providing the very best specialties of each region. The menu is designed with all of Stratta’s diners in mind, offering an array of dishes for every taste and craving.

Stratta came to Wynn Las Vegas from Renoir at the Mirage Hotel and Casino where he received national acclaim for his world-class menu and innovative approach to cuisine distinguished by a one-of-a-kind marriage of regional French and Italian ingredients. In just four months Renoir received Mobil's highest Five-Star rating, one of only 14 restaurants in the U.S. to be awarded this honor. During his six-year tenure at Renoir, the restaurant maintained its Mobil Five-Star stature as well as garnering AAA's Five-Diamond award and Las Vegas’s top culinary rating in the Zagat Guide.

From a long line of restaurateurs and hoteliers, Stratta has continued the family tradition, becoming the fifth generation to be involved in the culinary industry. He has lived in the finest hotels throughout the world and found his calling at a very early age. After several years working in hotel kitchens, Stratta decided to pursue his dreams by enrolling in the prestigious California Culinary Academy. During this time he was given the opportunity to work in one of San Francisco’s finest hotels, the Stanford Court Hotel. Under the guidance of Pastry Chef Jim Dodge, Stratta refined and perfected his skills in the art of baking and pastry.

After graduating with high honors, he decided to pursue his passion and strive to reach the top of his profession.

In the summer of 1986, Stratta had the opportunity to work under Chef Alain Ducasse as a member of the staff opening the Louis XV at the Hotel de Paris in Monaco. It was here that Stratta was introduced to the highest level of passion, dedication and discipline for one’s craft, and he attained goals he had never previously imagined.

After two formative and inspiring years in the Louis XV kitchen, Stratta longed to return to the U.S. and was sent by Ducasse to work under Daniel Boulud at New York's famous Le Cirque restaurant.

At Le Cirque, Stratta was able to apply his new-found knowledge of refined cuisine and elevate it to an entirely new level. In the high-pressure kitchen of Le Cirque, he also developed management and organizational skills that would further round out his talents. After moving up quickly in Boulud's kitchen, Stratta was presented with the opportunity to assume his first executive chef position.

At the young age of 24, he was chosen to head Mary Elaine’s, a gourmet restaurant at the new world class Phoenician Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. After two years of dedication, Stratta established Mary Elaine's as one of the premier dining destinations in the Southwest. In 1992, the James Beard Foundation named the restaurant a “Top Dining Destination,” and Stratta was chosen as America's top hotel chef. Seeking a new challenge, Stratta was promoted to executive chef of the resort, and once again received Mobil’s Five-Star award.

Realizing that he was much happier in the kitchen rather than being an executive chef, Stratta asked to return to the helm of Mary Elaine's and in 1998 received the Best Chef: Southwest award by the James Beard Foundation.

“I originally chose to come to Las Vegas because a real opportunity exists to provide people with a fine dining experience,” comments Stratta. “There is a certain excitement in this city not found anywhere else. People come here to have fun and celebrate, and there is no better way to showcase a restaurant.”

For more information on Alex Stratta or Wynn Las Vegas, please contact:
Katie Conway, Public Relations Manager, 702-770-3626, [email protected]

Owner of Tarbell's, Phoenix, AZ
Owner of The Oven, Lakewood & Centennial, CO
Owner of Restaurant Home, Centennial, CO

Mark Tarbell’s restaurant collection includes Tarbell’s in Phoenix, Restaurant Home and The Oven in Centennial Colorado, and The Oven in Lakewood Colorado. He studied in Paris, receiving wine training at the l'Academie du Vin and earning a Grande Diplome d'Etude Culinaire from La Varenne Ecole du Cuisine. Mark was the youngest Food & Beverage Director of any Five Diamond property in the world when he went to work for The Boulders resort in Carefree Arizona at the age of 23. Nominated for “Best Chef – Southwest” by the James Beard Foundation, he has cooked at many special events around the country and for a stellar line-up of political, sports, and entertainment celebrities including the Dalai Lama, Muhammad Ali and Clint Eastwood. Mark and his restaurants have earned more than 50 industry awards, including Food & Wine “Best Restaurant” and fourteen years of The Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence.

Mark’s is a judge for the annual Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits competition, one of the oldest in the country. He serves on many advisory councils and boards, from the Arizona Department of Education to the Phoenix Theatre. He has appeared on “Good Morning America”, the “Today Show”, Fox and Lifetime networks, and several Food Network programs (including a 2007 victory in the “Kitchen Stadium” of “Iron Chef America”.) He is the weekly wine columnist for The Arizona Republic, has been published in numerous local and national magazines including Wine & Spirits and Food Arts, and collaborated with Lance Armstrong’s trainer on Chris Carmichael’s Fitness Cookbook.