Straight from the kitchens of New York’s most recognized Italian restaurants, Wade Moises enhances Sassi’s cuisine with his extensive experience in crafting Italian meals that are authentic both in flavor and presentation style.  As Executive Chef, Moises cultivates Sassi’s seasonal and ingredient-driven menu with an emphasis on fish, pork, rustic breads, handmade pastas and fresh vegetables and herbs.  Throughout his 15-year career, Moises has traveled in Italy, refreshing his tastes and perfecting his skills.

With a passion for food, the personable and animated Moises consistently experiments with new and seasonal elements that add a modern flare to classic Italian dishes.  Prior to joining Sassi, Moises assisted in the planning and opening of Mario Batali’s Lupa Osteria Romana in New York City where he served as Sous Chef/Chef di Cuisine.  At Lupa, Moises prepared up to 250 dinners each night at the 70-seat restaurant.  A recognized top chef, Moises has received rave reviews from The New York Times for his cuisine and preparation of handmade salami and cured meat products.  In 1997, Moises followed his dreams to New York City where he began his culinary career as Sous Chef at Monzu.

One year later, Moises took his talents to Babbo Enoteca Ristorante where he first worked under Chef Batali as a grill cook.  In his early years, Moises worked in numerous restaurants and resorts in Vail, Colo. where he developed his passion for cooking.  In 1995, Moises moved to New York to attend the Culinary Institute of America.  While gaining a formal education in culinary school, Moises held culinary externships at Mary Elaine’s at The Phoenician Resort and The Terrace in Arizona.

As Executive Chef of Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain and its signature restaurant, elements, Beau MacMillan inspires his staff with his passion for fresh ingredients.  His ingenuity in the kitchen is stimulated by his belief that food should not be overworked, but rather appreciated for its simplicity and natural perfection.  This philosophy is evident in Chef MacMillan’s innovative seasonal menus that focus on fresh, local ingredients procured from a network of artisans and organic farmers.

Chef MacMillan has cooked in some of America’s most distinguished kitchens. He hails from Plymouth, Massachusetts and is a graduate of Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island. His culinary career began at the age of 16 when he secured a position at Crane Brook Tea Room in Carver, Massachusetts.  Chef MacMillan spent a year under the tutelage of Chef Francios Demueloge.  Inspired by this experience, he joined the brigade at La Vieille Maison in Boca Raton Florida, rising through the ranks to the position of Sous Chef.  Drawn to the culinary scene on the West Coast, Chef MacMillan moved to Los Angeles where he held Sous Chef positions at the prestigious Hotel Bel Air, and later Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica.  He was recruited to Arizona in 1998 to develop the cuisine at The Ranch on Camelback, which later became Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain.  Chef MacMillan and former Executive Chef Charles Wiley opened elements restaurant in March of 2001. 

Now as executive chef, MacMillan’s innovation has brought elements national recognition and acclaim.  In March 2006, Chef MacMillan was invited to The Food Network’s kitchen stadium to compete in an episode of the hit series, Iron Chef America.  Chef MacMillan was pitted against Iron Chef Bobby Flay in “Battle
American Kobe Beef.”  Ultimately, Chef MacMillan’s cuisine reigned supreme, letting him claim victory over Flay. 

In addition to his appearance on Iron Chef America, Chef MacMillan has cooked at The James Beard House and at Bon Appetit Magazine in New York, and regularly conducts cooking classes for the guests of Sanctuary. He is also the personal Chef for Wayne Gretzky and his family and has cooked for such personalities as President Bush, Britney Spears, U2, Michele Richard, Jacques Pepin and Michele Roux, Sr.

  Michael Rusconi joined LON’s at the Hermosa as Executive Chef in January, 2005. He is responsible for all food operations, including in-house catering functions and room service for the distinctive boutique resort in Arizona’s Paradise Valley.

  Chef Rusconi has put his indelible mark on LON’s award-winning Artful American cuisine, combining European technique with native ingredients and fresh, local produce.

  Born in California and raised in Chicago, Chef Rusconi earned his culinary degree from the New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier, Vermont.

  He moved to the Phoenix-area in 1986 to intern with James Beard award winning chef and author Vincent Guerithault, who had innovated the combining of French technique with ingredients found in the Southwest United States.

  Chef Rusconi later worked at Mary Elaine’s at the Phoenician resort under the tutelage of James Beard award winning Chef Alessandro Stratta and James Boyce. In early 2001 he joined the team at the Royal Palms Resort & Spa as Executive Sous Chef.

  Under his direction, LON’s menus salute the past and celebrate the present, with a constant search for new sources. Chef Rusconi and his staff are constantly scanning the horizon for the freshest, most flavorful beef, pork, duck, seafood, cheese, and produce on the market.

  An example is the desert sweet shrimp featured on both lunch and dinner menus. Its sweet flavor comes from being farm-raised in an ecologically sound manner with no added preservatives; it is produced in southeastern Arizona and packed in ice for its trip to Phoenix.

  Fresh lobster, cod, and mussels are supplied by a small seafood company in Boston. Chef Rusconi contacts them to place his order, the seafood is harvested, packed, air shipped and delivered to the restaurant in 24 hours.

  Much of the greens, herbs and vegetables served at Lon’s are grown in the chef’s garden, a half-acre site north of the property’s kitchens.  This area is cultivated and maintained by the culinary team. Vegetables, citrus and other fruit, chilies, olives, and such specialty items as prickly pear syrup are found locally.

  Chef Rusconi is the creative force behind a staff of 23, including Executive Sous Chef James Gallimore, Restaurant Sous Chef Juctin Olsen. Pastry Chef Trevor Tucker and Banquet Chet Motez Crane.

  Michael Rusconi and his wife, Nancy, live in central Phoenix with their daughter, Jessica, 5.

  As for his food philosophy, Chef Rusconi says simply, “Buy the best ingredients and treat them with love and respect. Only by doing that will you be able to and deliver the best quality possible.”

Executive Chef
T. Cook’s at Royal Palms Resort and Spa

 Lee Hillson’s progression up the food chain is paved with award-winning culinary experiences.  Hillson began his restaurant career in 1987 at the age of 16 when he enrolled in culinary school at Bournemouth and Poole College in his native England.  Two years later, degree in hand, he took off to the Hyatt in Austin, Texas to explore new worlds and new cuisines.

A year later, he returned to London for the unique opportunity to be the Pastry Chef at the Roux Patisserie, owned by world-renowned chefs, Albert and Michel Roux.  Hillson then served as Pastry Chef at the Michelin star Le Poussin in Hampshire, England.   His next stop was  Hintlesham Hall in Ipswich, Suffolk, England where he began as the Pastry Chef and three years later was appointed Sous Chef at this European award-winning, fine dining restaurant.

 In November of 1998, Hillson crossed the Atlantic again to become Executive Sous Chef at Vanderbilt Hall in Newport, Rhode Island at its Alva restaurant.  Within a few short months, he was appointed Executive Chef at this restaurant ranked as one of the country’s top five restaurants by Country Inn magazine.

 From Rhode Island, Hillson ventured cross country in 2000, and teamed up with another nationally acclaimed restaurant, T. Cook’s at Royal Palms Resort and Spa.    As Sous Chef, Hillson has been part of the lineup that has garnered acclaim from the likes of Andrew Harper’s Hideaway Report, Travel + Leisure magazine and a host of Phoenix/Scottsdale food writers.  During his tenure at T. Cook’s, Hillson has cooked on more than one occasion at the James Beard House in New York as part of the T. Cook’s team as well as at the resort for a Friends of James Beard dinner and numerous local high profile culinary events.  According to resort General Manager, Greg Miller, “Lee’s leadership has been one of the key ingredients in the success and recognition we’ve achieved at T. Cook’s.”

Mark Tarbell is the owner of Tarbell’s in Phoenix and co-owner of 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 at the age of 23.  Nominated for “Best Chef – Southwest” by the James Beard Foundation in 2001, he has been invited to cook 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’s restaurants have earned 35 “Best Of” awards, including Food & Wine “Best Restaurant”.

Mark has been a judge for ten years for the L.A. County Fair wine competition, one of the oldest in the country.  He serves on many other 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.  In September 2007 Mark's "cuisine reigned supreme" in his battle with Iron Chef Cat Cora on "Iron Chef America".

Mark is the weekly wine columnist for the Arizona Republic newspaper, has been published in numerous local and national magazines, and collaborated with Lance Armstrong’s trainer Chris Carmichael on Chris Carmichael’s Fitness Cookbook.

Weatherman
3TV

Brad Perry joined KTVK NewsChannel 3 in February 1998 as the weatherman for "Good Morning Arizona," where he did live, remote weather broadcasts from locations around the Valley.

Perry grew up in the cereal capital of the world, Battlecreek, Mich. He majored in business at Holy Cross Junior College at Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., before studying theater at Notre Dame. While at Notre Dame, he started a comedy troupe, Misfits in Disguise. Perry then moved to Chicago and studied with the Second City comedy troupe. His first "real" job in the entertainment industry was as Damon Wayans stand-in in "Mo' Money."

His comedic talents also landed him jobs as the warm-up act on "Jenny Jones" and for Danny Bonaduce and Mark Wahlberg. Perry has also worked behind the scenes as an assistant to producers on the TV shows "Early Edition" and "To Sir With Love II" and films "Losing Isaah" and "Hoodlums."

Before moving to Phoenix, Perry worked as a freelance correspondent for Chicago's WGN-TV, where he did "Around Town" segments for the station's morning show. He also worked as a correspondent for WTTW Channel 11 (Wild Chicago).
 
He considers himself just a regular guy who loves when people say hello to him on the street.

Catt Fields White has been a restaurant reviewer and a restaurant owner so she looks at the foodservice business from both sides of the plate. Since 2002, she has been the Editor and Publisher of Serving Arizona and Serving San Diego, insiders’ publications written for restaurant owners, exec chefs, managers and staff.

A longtime writer, Catt has written restaurant reviews, profiles and restaurant design and construction case studeis for publications throughout the Western United States. She has been involved in restaurant marketing, development and day-to-day operations, which gives her a deeper perspective than many journalists that cover the restaurant beat.

A 25-year resident of Arizona, Catt and and her family owned and operated a popular neighborhood hangout, The News Café, in East Phoenix’ Arcadia area in the 1990’s. After selling that business, she returned to publishing and development, still concentrating on Arizona’s restaurant industry.
 
An active member of the Board of Directors of the California Restaurant Association, Catt currently divides her time between Phoenix and downtown San Diego.

After graduating from the University of Arizona in 1974, I began my journalism career with a summer internship as the first woman sportswriter at The Tucson Citizen. A summer of baseball, boxing and bowling made me realize that sports writing was not for me. I returned to the East Coast and landed a job as assistant features editor at Today's Post in King of Prussia, a suburb of Philadelphia. My next stops were as a feature writer for a Tucson magazine, city hall reporter for Tempe Daily News and in 1978 the Phoenix Gazette, where I worked as a city hall, general assignment and business reporter until the Gazette and Republic merged nearly 11 years ago. Since the merger, I've worked as a breaking news editor and East Valley editor until moving into the food writing position about seven years ago.

Owner/Founder
Eddie V's Edgewater Grille,
Roaring Fork and Wildfish Seafood Grille

More than 30 years ago, Guy Villavaso envisioned a restaurant that reflected his values of Southern hospitality combined with a flare for the culinary arts. This vision has unfolded into a trifecta of innovative and distinctive restaurants that span numerous markets. Eddie V’s Edgewater Grill, Wildfish Seafood Grill and The Roaring Fork have spread throughout the west, now operating in Arizona, Texas and California. Each concept possesses a unique atmosphere and flavors, maintaining individuality by tailoring the surroundings and menus to reflect the lifestyles and needs of its guests. 

The ideas propelling Villavaso’s success are modest and avant-garde at once. It begins with the food – a selection of highest-quality freshest ingredients available, cooked with simple techniques that accentuate the food’s natural flavors. Next, the culinary entrepreneur stresses the importance of assembling a professional team of people who share a vision of quality, simplicity and service.

Villavaso began his restaurant career in 1975 while attending college at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. It was there he met his long-time business partner Larry Foles, as well as a core group of associates who continue to invest in and support his restaurant ventures to this day.

Villavaso and Foles hit upon their first big success in 1989. The men partnered with long-time friend and founder of P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, Paul Fleming, to create Z' Tejas Southwestern Grille in Phoenix. The restaurant would offer a distinctive "South by Southwest" dining experience for upscale casual diners, featuring cuisine indigenous to the Southern border region of the United States from Mississippi to California. Villavaso served as president and chief operating officer of the company for a decade, before he and Foles sold their shares. During that time, Z' Tejas opened eight restaurants in Arizona, Texas and Nevada.

Bringing award-winning chefs to the table led to the partners’ success in launching each of their next three restaurant concepts.

In 1997, they enlisted James Beard Award-winning chef Robert McGrath as Executive Chef of The Roaring Fork. The Roaring Fork is a combination of bold American flavors and comfort food enhanced by the wood-fire cooking techniques of the Old West. The first Roaring Fork opened its doors in Phoenix on Camelback Road in 1997 and moved to its current Scottsdale, Ariz. location in 2003. 

Eddie V’s Edgewater Grille was born in 1999, filling what Villavaso saw as a vastly underserved niche in quality seafood restaurants throughout the country. He drew inspiration from the great classic seafood restaurants of New Orleans, San Francisco and New York. To help ensure success in this niche, Villavaso and Foles enrolled in a highly-acclaimed seafood school sponsored by Foley's Seafood Company in Boston. There they learned first-hand the "ins and outs" of production and shipping in the fresh seafood industry. The team then recruited John Carver, a tremendous culinary talent from Atlanta. Together, they tested, planned and executed the exciting combinations of premium seafood dishes and prime steaks that make up Eddie V's acclaimed menu today. The first Eddie V’s opened in the winter of 2000 in downtown Austin, Texas, with an atmosphere that is warm and inviting with live music nightly.

In 2004, Villavaso’s fourth concept, Wildfish Seafood Grille, debuted in Newport Beach, California.  Wildfish is a prime seafood and steak restaurant with the same unpretentious atmosphere that has become Villavaso’s hallmark. Yet, with its exposition-style kitchen and contemporary edge, the seafood is the show.

The level of service guests receive in each of his restaurants is just one indicator of Villavaso’s ability to lead and inspire people to be the best.  He lives and breathes the ideals he instills in his family of restaurants, and at the core “Best Today, Better Tomorrow” is the heart and soul of his vision.

He endeavors to grow his company with integrity and compassion, encouraging all of his employees to manage with the same entrepreneurial spirit that drives him. To date, the restaurants’ core markets are Austin, Texas and the Phoenix-Scottsdale area. They have a presence in California and more plans are in the works for new locations to open throughout central Texas in 2008.

Born and raised in New Orleans, Villavaso also lived in Austin for a number of years. He has lived and worked in Scottsdale since the early 1990s, with his wife, Terri, and their three children – Evan, 17, and twins Emily and Tyler, 16.

Whether he is appearing with Al Roker on the Today Show or meeting a student for the first time, Jon-Paul’s passion for all things culinary and all things Arizona is evident. A transplant from New Jersey in 1992, Jon-Paul moved to Arizona after meeting with Elizabeth Leite, founder of the Scottsdale Culinary Institute. “I was captivated by her passion and wanted to be a part of her mission to create a great culinary institution for Arizona”

At 13, Jon-Paul began his career as a pot scrubber but as the years passed he found himself exploring the many facets of this amazing industry, including small bistros, caterers, hotels, and luxe fine dining establishment that catered to US Presidents, dignitaries and high profile celebrities. The journey led him to the discovery of his life’s passion, teaching.

His career at SCI has grown from instructor to Executive Chef where he has overseen the schools two award winning restaurants and helped develop standards and curriculum. Jon-Paul has been a regular fixture on Arizona media, most notably as the regular chef on ABC’s Sonoran Living Live and on the radio as Jan D’Atri’s co-host on her KFYI show. Jon-Paul is also a member of the Arizona Republic’s Tasting panel. On the national stage he has been a featured guest on the Food Network, HGTV, ESPN and the Today Show. 

Known for his high energy, humor and his compassion for students and charitable causes, Jon-Paul uses his sense of humor, honed after years as a stand-up comedian to engage visitors and students alike as they explore the vibrant Arizona culinary scene or to gain support for the many causes and events that he and SCI continue to support.

Scott Lyon is the Founder and Managing Partner of Westroc Hotels and Resorts responsible for acquisition, design, and development.  Scott literally grew up in the real estate business under the tutelage of his father, Rusty, the founder of Westcor, Arizona’s premier commercial development company.  During his initial tenure with Westcor, Scott focused on retail development, highlighted by his leadership on the renovation and expansion of Westcor’s flagship regional mall, Scottsdale Fashion Square.

Scott has extensive expertise in the hotel and resort industry starting with his participation in the formation, expansion, and eventual sale of Carefree Resorts, an affiliate of Westcor. In this role he was instrumental in the development, ownership and management of some of the most renowned resorts and communities in the country, including The Boulders in Carefree, Arizona, The Peaks at Telluride in Colorado, Carmel Valley Ranch Resort in California, and The Lodge at Ventana Canyon in Tucson, Arizona.

Following the sale of Carefree Resorts in 1998, Scott recruited COO Bill Nassikas and CFO Pete Corpstein, both close friends and former associates in Carefree Resort to create Westroc Hotels and Resorts.  Westroc was structured to specialize in the development and management of unique boutique hotels and resorts.

Westroc’s first endeavor was the redevelopment of the former landmark John Gardiners Tennis Ranch into the highly acclaimed Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain.  Following that effort was the rehabilitation of the historic Hotel Valley Ho, and urban resort strategically located in downtown Scottsdale.  Westroc continues to manage both properties with a hands on family approach to guests and employees.