Being the executive banquet chef at Pechanga Resort & Casino is a study in flexibility, from executing a chocolate and wine festival in time for Valentine’s Day to summertime chili cook-offs or catering to 1,500 hungry leathernecks for the annual Marine Corps Birthday Ball, where chicken and lots and lots of sirloin are the menu items du jour for “First to Fight.”

Today’s dining customer, whether arriving in twos or as part of a large group, wants plenty of atmosphere served up with their dining experience.

Born in Chicago to Ecuadorian parents, Jose Garces got his early culinary chops in Spain and New York City. In 2001, he moved to Philadelphia, where in 2005 Amada, named for his grandmother, was his first venture.

A global dining capital, New York City truly stands above the rest when it comes to cutting-edge cuisine with roots that extend throughout the world. A good case in point is Mina Newman, who is of Peruvian descent and serves as the executive chef of The Edison Ballroom and new restaurant Sen Sakana, where she collaborates with Osaka, Japan native Taku Nagai to celebrate Peruvian-Japanese cuisine.

Growing up in a small town outside Frankfurt, Germany, Julian Scheibel treasured the hours he spent with his grandmother, exploring the forest and together collecting porcini and chanterelle mushrooms they’d later sell at the local market. 

One may not associate the rich culinary traditions of India with Texan cuisine, but Revolve Kitchen + Bar, in Houston’s Hotel Derek, is capitalizing on both via the talents of its new executive chef as well as the city’s standing of having the largest Indian population of any U.S. city outside of New York (as well as with its Korean population).

Hailing from Nairobi, Kenya, and able to speak seven languages, Allan Wambaa, executive chef of Aramark’s pacificwild catering at Portland, Ore.’s Oregon Convention Center, is fluent in cuisine on a truly international level.

Founder & CEO // Schulson Collective, Monkitail // Hollywood, Fla. // Diplomat Resort.

Finding a good steak in Dallas is hardly a challenge, but finding a premier steak served with a side of the atmosphere and view offered at SĒR Steak + Spirits, on the 27th floor of the Hilton Anatole, is as close to beef heaven as one’s going to get.

Executive Chef Adam Crisafulli is part of a Premier Catering culinary team that is transforming the SMG-managed convention center’s culinary experience by challenging the traditional convention center mass-consumption model.