Self-motivated professional with outstanding skills as a Chef, Restaurant Owner/Manager and Culinary Consultant with over 30 years of extensive experience. Ability to build rapport with customers and colleagues; innate ability to interact effectively with people of various cultures and backgrounds and succeed in high-pressure challenging and deadline-driven environments. Capable of managing and overseeing dining services while leading and motivating staff to perform to the best of abilities across every service. Consistently create new recipes and menus, implementing seasonal ingredients and modern techniques. National reputation for creative, regional American cuisine and extensive knowledge of wines. Seeking to bring strong supervisory food preparation and organizational skills to the table with a respected organization that values hard work, commitment and vision.

Professional Experience

Ortega National Parks – Food & Beverage Director / Corporate Chef  |  2010 – present
Ortega an independent concession that operates the food and beverage venues for 14 different National Parks from Hawaii to Maine. Responsible for overseeing more than $22 million in food and beverage sales yearly, in addition to bid writing for F&B department, local food sourcing, menu development, operations planning, build-out, staffing, training, accounting and operational systems. Additionally, responsible for post-opening operational oversight, expectations and accountability. http://ortegaparks.com/

Creative Culinary Consulting – Owner  |  2009 – present
Guide restaurants of every size overcome every manner of operational, administrative and marketing issues to achieve success. Through direct involvement, many of these restaurants achieved successful launches, moved from imminent closure to profitability in record time, and ultimately earned critical acclaim. http://www.theculinaryconsultant.com

Additional Restaurants include:
Lost Cajun – Frisco, CO / Breckenridge, CO
Deliezio’s – Littleton, CO
Thunderbird Bar & Grill – Santa Fe, NM
Gallardia Golf Club & Community – Oklahoma City, OK 
Bakery Cafe – Crested Butte, CO

Cafe Alpine – Chef/Owner  |  1996 – 2009
At the helm as chef and owner of this regional American restaurant, Cafe Alpine was nestled in the town of Breckenridge, Colorado. Award-winning Cafe Alpine offered unique, seasonal menus and offered brunch, lunch and dinner options. Optimized profits by controlling food, beverage and labor costs on a daily basis. Scheduled and directed staff in daily work assignments to maximize productivity. Consistently maintained high levels of cleanliness, organization, storage, and sanitation of food and beverage products, all while adhering to the core values of quality, consistency, creativity and excellence in both food and service. Solely responsible for overseeing more than $1.3 million in food and beverage sales in an 88-seat restaurant.

Accolades

Cafe Alpine:
•  Zagat Survey – America’s Top Restaurant,  Denver & Mountain Resorts, 2000
•  The Wine Spectator Award of Excellence and AAA’s Four-Diamond rating - 18 years running
•  Winner of the Best Gourmet Restaurant by Summit Daily News - 3 years in a row

Redfish:
•  Chicago Magazine – 8th in Top 20 Best New Restaurants
•  Chicago Sun-Times / Chicago Tribune / Restaurant Hospitality Rising Star Edition

The Wauwinet:
•  Featured twice in Bon Appetite
•  Zagat Survey award winner
•  Featured in Discerning Traveler and Travel+Leisure
•  Four-Star ratings from the Mobile Travel Guide

Criolla’s:
•  Top 20 Restaurant - recognized 7 years in a row by Florida Trend Magazine
•  Wine Spectator Award Recipient
•  Member and President of the Treasure Coast Chef’s Association - 2 years
•  AFC Member
•  James Beard Foundation Member
•  Participant Florida Seafood Chef-of-the-Year

Areas of Expertise

  • Event Management Restaurant Owner

  • Creative Menu Development & Costing

  • Leadership and Mentoring

  • Openings / Relaunch Strategies

  • Conflict Resolution

  • Personnel Management

  • Staff Development / Training / Guidelines

  • Large Volume / High Quality

  • Cost of Goods Sold

  • Labor & Food Cost Control

  • Beverage Programs & Wine Lists

  • Health Safety & Sanitation Programs

  • Planning & Procurement Opening Restaurants

  • Training Programs

  • Restaurant Systems

  • Yearly Budgets

  • Inventory Controls

  • Scheduling