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Chef Jean-Philippe Maury

Bio

Jean-Philippe Maury enjoys the sweet life in Las Vegas, as his expertise and passion for French pastries have found their ultimate expression through his two Jean Philippe Pâtisseries, one located in Bellagio and the second in ARIA.

Maury grew up in Perpignan in the South of France and declares a simple inspiration for his attraction to the pastry arts: his aunt. “No one in my family is a sous chef or a professional, but my aunt loved to make cakes and she would let me help,” Maury said. “At eight years old I told my parents I wanted to be a pastry chef. And, they believed me!” At age 17, he enrolled at L’Ecole Hôtelière du Moulin à Vent in Perpignan where he trained in the specialties of pastry, ice cream, chocolate and confections.

Weekends were spent in an internship with Master Pastry Chef Marc Comte, which allowed Maury to add Mediterranean and Catalan pastries to his repertoire. For several years after school, Maury worked tirelessly at various restaurants to fine-tune his craft and enrich his experience. But it was the competition circuit that finally allowed Maury’s indisputable talent to claim a place on the public stage: Bronze Medals in Paris and Sète, a Gold in Bordeaux and in 1997 the title Meilleur Ouvrier de France – Best Pastry Chef in France.

This top honor brought instant international recognition. Within the year, Chef François Paillard brought Maury to New York as pastry chef for his restaurant and shop, and the new champion’s elaborate creations were published in Pastry Art and Design and The New York Times. Less than a year later, Maury accepted the position of executive pastry chef for the AAA Five Diamond Bellagio in Las Vegas and later opened Jean Philippe Patisserie in ARIA Resort and Casino.

Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten

Bio

Born and raised on the outskirts of Strasbourg in Alsace, France, Jean-Georges earliest family memories are about food. He trained in a work-study program at the Auberge de I’Ill and as an apprentice to chef Paul Haeberlin, later working with Paul Bocuse and Master Chef Louis Outhier at L’Oasis in the south of France.

Jean-Georges traveled Asia for positions in the Oriental Hotel in Bangkok, the Meridien Hotel in Singapore and the Madarin Hotel in Hong Kong.

Involved in every aspect of his restaurants, from concept and menu to architectural design, staff selection and finishing touches, he and partner Phil Suarez have worked together for more than 18 years to create restaurants that are both timely and enduring.

Chef Masa Takayama

Bio

Masa Takayama may well be the most famous sushi chef in the United States. He has impressed diners on both coasts with his four-star menus, unassuming charm and artistic dexterity. Now he brings his renowned charisma and cuisine to Las Vegas, joining the impressive restaurant line-up at CityCenter with barMASA and Shaboo in ARIA Resort & Casino.

After graduating from high school, he moved to Tokyo and was hired by a reputable sushi restaurant, Ginza Sushi-ko, as a dishwasher. Intrigued by the genuine joy he perceived in diners, he began to develop an equally genuine interest in the restaurant and its culinary craft. Before long, he moved his way up to sushi chef.

Eight years later, Takayama visited Los Angeles, intent on seeing expanses of flat land entirely antithetical to Japan’s island mountains. He worked at a number of small Japanese restaurants before opening his own Ginza Sushi-ko in Beverly Hills in 1983. Small and intimate – and located in an unglamorous mini-mall – Ginza Sushi-ko quickly attracted a cult-like following and a rare four-star review from The Los Angeles Times. Takayama became famous for sourcing the very best ingredients available and, in the early years, would fly to the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo himself each Saturday.

Soon after the turn of the millennium, Takayama received an offer to open a restaurant in New York City’s newly built Time Warner Center. Encouraged by Thomas Keller, along with a strong economy and the excitement of an even bigger food city, Takayama opened Masa in 2004. The restaurant soon won four stars from The New York Times (the only Japanese restaurant to do so in 20 years) with respected food critic Frank Bruni declaring, “Masa engineers discrete moments of pure elation that few if any other restaurants can match.” A Mobil five-star rating and Michelin’s top rating of three stars soon followed.

Now, five years later, Takayama returns west to join the culinary explosion taking place in the unprecedented CityCenter in Las Vegas. barMASA and Tetsu, sister properties to his New York establishments, have enabled him to return to his loyal West Coast clientele, as well as express the shabu-shabu concept he has been developing for some time

Chef Michael Mina

Bio

Born in Cairo, Egypt and raised in Ellensburg, Washington, Mina has had a love affair with the kitchen from a very early age. Mina’s epicurean journey began in 1987 at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park. During those 18 months of formal schooling, he spent his weekends sharpening his natural talents with hands-on experience in Charlie Palmer’s kitchen at the upscale Aureole in New York City.

Early in his career, Mina was presented with the opportunity of a lifetime with then Executive Chef of the Bel Air Hotel in Los Angeles, George Morrone. The two were asked to develop a concept and create a menu for an upscale seafood restaurant in San Francisco – the city he had dreamed of calling home one day. When AQUA opened in 1991, it was met with rave reviews and national acclaim.

Looking to expand his portfolio of restaurants, Mina founded his own company, Mina Group, with partner Andre Agassi in 2002. Under the auspices of Mina Group, he has since opened 18 concept restaurants and a lounge concept including MICHAEL MINA, CLOCK BAR, RN74, BOURBON STEAK, ARCADIA, STONEHILL TAVERN, SEABLUE, NOBHILL TAVERN, STRIPSTEAK and AMERICAN FISH.

Named Gayot Restaurateur of the Year 2011, Food Arts Silver Spoon Award winner May 2011, Bon Appétit Chef of the Year 2005, San Francisco Magazine Chef of the Year 2005, as well as Restaurateur of the Year 2005 by the International Food and Beverage Forum, Mina continues to dazzle the culinary world with bold dining concepts that have contributed to Las Vegas’s reputation as a world-class epicurean destination and made him an integral part of the dining scene across the country.

Chef Shawn McClain

Bio

Shawn McClain has a knack for balancing innovative concepts with tradition and sensibility. His spirited Artisanal American menu takes the seasons as its departure point, tapping the freshness of California’s fertile environment to produce elevated flavor combinations with Mediterranean undercurrents.

McClain’s star rose quickly in the culinary world. He first broke onto the national scene at Trio restaurant in Evanston, earning four stars from both the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times. After seven accolade-filled years, he left to open Spring in 2001, which served as his homage to seafood and earned extraordinary critical acclaim and consumer success. That same year, Spring was nominated for the James Beard Foundation’s Best New Restaurant award, and McClain was named Esquire magazine’s Chef of the Year.

By 2004, McClain was ready to take on a new challenge and opened his second restaurant, Green Zebra. An immediate success, this vanguard concept brings vegetables to the center of the plate and was lauded by The New York Times, Bon Appétit, Food & Wine and several other prestigious publications.

After continuing his success in Chicago with Custom House, McClain eventually found his way to the bright lights of Las Vegas. At Sage in ARIA Resort & Casino, McClain changed focus once more with a New American menu built on the irresistible freshness of California’s local harvests. After having achieved so many of his goals in Chicago, McClain was drawn to both the challenge of a new city and the allure of CityCenter as a culinary destination. His sharp eye for distinctive concepts forms the cornerstone of his ongoing ability to excite diners nationwide.

Chef Julian Serrano

Bio

Award-winning Chef Julian Serrano turns a discerning eye to the cuisine of his Spanish heritage as Executive Chef of his eponymous restaurant, Julian Serrano.

A native of Madrid, Serrano is a graduate of the Escuela Gastronomie P.P.O. hotel management school in Marbella, Spain, and has pursued his affinity for French cuisine in some of Europe's most celebrated kitchens. He has spent time at Lucas-Carton in Paris, Hotel de France in Auch, France, Chez Max in Zurich and L'Aubergine in Munich.

Following brief positions in Miami and Nashville, Serrano moved to San Francisco, where in 1983 he helped open Masa’s restaurant under the personal tutelage of the restaurant's renowned founding chef, Masataka Kobayashi.

In 1998, Serrano brought his memorable Mediterranean-French cooking to Bellagio in Las Vegas as Executive Chef of Picasso. The Michelin two-star restaurant has won the AAA Five Diamond Award every year since 2002, and its wine list has received the coveted Grand Award from Wine Spectator magazine.

At his latest venue in the dazzling CityCenter, Serrano satisfies a long-held ambition of sharing the secrets of his own Spanish cuisine. In 2010, Esquire magazine named the restaurant Julian Serrano one of its Best New Restaurants of the year. The restaurant also received the Best of Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator Magazine in 2011.

Chef Robert Moore

Bio

Robert Moore’s first foray into cooking was unintentional, as a friend accidentally enrolled him in seventh grade Home Economics rather than Metal Shop class. However, after the first day of making cinnamon buns, he no longer considered it a mistake.

After getting his start in the industry at a young age with a dishwashing job, he eventually came to Lespinasse in New York City, where he cooked under esteemed chef Gray Kunz. His time with Kunz made a lasting impact—it’s where he learned so many of the skills critical for any rising chef: organization, time management, working neatly and respecting the product.

Moore developed many friendships while cooking throughout New York City. One of those friends was Chef Martin Heierling, a co-worker at Lespinassse who invited him to be a part of his team when developing Sensi at Bellagio in Las Vegas, where he spent two years at Sensi as sous chef, sharing his experience and skills as part of Heierling’s management team.

In 2006, he accepted the position of executive chef at Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Prime Steakhouse at Bellagio. Moore’s culinary style – global with nods to French technique and Italian sensibility – fits perfectly with Vongerichten, particularly the practice of letting the quality of the ingredients take the starring role.

Chef Vincenzo Scarmiglia

Bio

Born off the coast of Tuscany, Vincenzo Scarmiglia grew up immersed in Italy’s robust cuisine and culture. His passion and discipline for culinary arts ultimately led him to executive chef roles in two famed Maccioni family restaurants in Las Vegas, Osteria del Circo at Bellagio Resort & Casino and Sirio Ristorante at ARIA Resort & Casino.

Chef Scarmiglia attended the Spoleto Culinary School in Umbria, Italy and earned his degree in 1990. Upon graduation, Scarmilgia began his first job as a line cook at the esteemed Il Gambero Rosso Restaurant in Porto Ercole, Italy. Scarmiglia’s career was interrupted briefly when he was called to fulfill one year of military service for the Italian Army. At the end of his service, Scarmiglia returned to Il Gambero Rosso where he worked his way up to executive chef.

Searching for new experiences and the challenge of learning a new language, Scarmiglia eyed Las Vegas as offering the biggest opportunity for his career. In 1999, he opened famed restaurateur Piero Selvaggio’s Valentino at The Venetian as assistant chef and immediately made a name for himself in the Las Vegas culinary scene.

In April 2005, he assisted with the opening of Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare at Wynn Las Vegas and served as assistant chef for several months. That December, Scarmiglia accepted the position of executive chef for Terrazza restaurant at Caesars Palace where he worked until late 2006.

In 2007, Scarmiglia took his talents to the Tuscan-inspired Osteria del Circo at Bellagio, where he worked for renowned restaurateur Sirio Maccioni as executive chef for two years. In 2009, he moved to ARIA to serve as executive chef of the Maccioni’s Sirio Ristorante.

In that role, Scarmiglia makes the Italian kitchen of Sirio hum with homemade pastas and sausages among other delectable dishes. His famous Limoncellos, a recipe he developed while working at Osteria del Circo, provide the perfect ending to any meal. Working with seasonal ingredients, Scarmiglia has several flavors he rotates throughout the year including Berrycello, Trufflecello and Chocolatecello in addition to the classic Limoncello.

Chef Jose Picazo

Bio

Chef Picazo has extensive experience with restaurants beginning with one he opened himself in a small town called Pozuelo, next to Madrid, Spain. His restaurant was decorated by a designer from Washington, D.C., who soon became his girlfriend. Picazzo’s disbelief in long distant relationships brought him to the United States in 1998 where he began work with Jose Andres at Jaleo for 7 years.

He continued to work at several restaurants, including a Tapas and Sushi restaurant in Washington, D.C. called Perry’s. At the time, Award-winning Chef Julian Serrano was looking for an Executive Chef for the opening of Julian Serrano in ARIA. Chef Serrano visited him in D.C. and was immediately impressed. He was offered the position and is currently working with Chef Serrano.

In his years working with numerous chefs, Picazo has utmost respect for Chef Serrano. He said “A good chef doesn’t need to stay in the kitchen. Its like a composer of an orchestra, they don’t need to play all the instruments to make it work. However, Julian is the composer that also knows how to play it all.”

At Julian Serrano, Chef Picazo tries to bring as many ingredients from Spain as he can in order to prepare dishes that will give customers the closest taste and experience to what they would have in his home country. His favorite dishes at Julian Serrano are the Mediterranean Bass and Ahi Tuna Tempura. Stop in yourself and try the delectable interpretations of native Spanish cuisine.

Chef Claude Escamilla

Bio

Claude Escamilla grew up in Perpignan, France and began studying pastry arts at La Chambre des Metiers at the age of 14. He joined “Le Clos Des Lys”, a large-scale catering enterprise in 1995 and worked under Chef Jean-Philippe, to prepare the best French pastry. Claude pursued a pastry degree in the master’s program "Brevet de Maitrise" at "La Chambre de Métiers" in Perpignan and received his degree in 1998. In June of 1999, Claude became the Assistant Pastry Chef for the Bellagio and since then has been promoted to Executive Pastry Chef at ARIA Resort & Casino.

Chef Krairit Krairavee

Bio

Krairit Krairavee is a highly trained chef from Bangkok, Thailand. He was the Executive Chef at Nest, a rooftop restaurant in one of Bangkok’s most luxurious hotels, Le Fenix. He attended the most famous cooking school in Thailand, next to Bangkok’s deluxe Dusit Thani Hotel and trained in both Thailand and the Netherlands. Chef K has taken second place in Thailand’s Super Chef contest and appeared on prestigious cooking shows in Thailand, including Iron Chef and Idol Chef. He joined ARIA to open Lemongrass in 2009 and is currently the Executive Chef. Lemongrass offers a modern interpretation of Thai cuisine with flavorful authentic dishes.

Chef Richard Camarota

Bio

Richard Camarota was the Chef de Cuisine of Shawn McClain’s Custom House restaurant in Chicago. While at Custom House, Chef Camarota gained national attention for his work. When Sage opened inside of ARIA, Chef Camarota was chosen by Shawn McClain to become the Chef de Cuisine.