If you’re the chef de cuisine or executive chef in a restaurant, you’ve got to be old, right? Wrong! Although many of the chefs you’re familiar with might be snow-capped, more and more chefs are being handed the reins while still young. And here in Vegas, you’ll find some of the best in the nation. Although their paths and experiences vary widely, there are certain characteristics they all share: a passion for food and a penchant for hard work.
Nicole Brisson, age 35
Executive chef, Carnevino at The Palazzo
When Nicole Brisson was a child, she never questioned what she wanted to be—she knew. Her grandfather owned a restaurant; her mother made the family’s meals from scratch; and her father grew vegetables on nearly all their property. By high school, the New York state native had a job in the restaurant biz, took culinary classes and competed in contests, testing the skills she’d later use as a chef. College and a two-year stint working in Italy left her still driven to fulfill her dream. She checked out San Francisco, but “I realized I was too East Coast for San Francisco. I walked fast, talked fast, cooked fast, and they were hanging out drinking tea.” Back to the East Coast she went.
“When I went back home, I got an opportunity: I met (chef) Stephen Kalt. I interviewed with him, packed up my bags and moved out here two weeks later.” It was almost a whim, but it paid off huge: After working at restaurants at Wynn for a couple of years, she joined B&B Hospitality, helping open B&B Ristorante, and serving as chef de cuisine at Enoteca before becoming executive chef at Carnevino, where she has been since 2010.
Today, Brisson’s become a mini-celeb of her own, competing in Back of the House Brawl, Chopped and Late Night Chef Fight. “As much as I can, I try to do off-the-Strip dinners and get involved ...” The camaraderie she found in the cooking arena was long-lasting: “Years ago, when I moved to Vegas, I kind of thought, ‘Two years, three years, I’m out,’ but now I’ve been here 12 and a half years, and I’ve made a community here, a home.”
What was the most significant factor in your success at a young age? “Working hard. And it’s so much about networking. I never really put it all together until I reflected back years later. All the people I met throughout my path and my journey all came together in some way. That’s why it’s so important ... so many young chefs don’t realize that when they quit jobs, burn bridges, it can come back to haunt you. I always worked hard, it helped me ...”
Photo Gallery
Pet peeve in the kitchen? “I would say bad attitude.”
Pet peeve out of the kitchen? “Negativity.”
Favorite ingredient? “Salt. I feel like everything needs salt to go to a different level. Whether it’s cucumber or a piece of fruit, you’re always pouring salt on it to elevate the flavor.”
Favorite surprise ingredient? “Anchovies. Much like salt, it gives things depth and solidity. In the Italian cuisine, you’ll see tubes of anchovy paste in every kitchen. A lot of times, it’s just to give that umami factor or elevate the dish to another level, but you are not necessarily tasting a salty little fish, you are tasting that umami balance.”
Strangest ingredient you’ve ever used? “Alligator and lingonberries.”
Something someone would not expect about you? “I have Hashimoto’s disease. I’ve had Hashimoto’s since I was 26. It’s very typical in 70-plus year old women... I’m very active and work (long) days, and it is something that is crippling on a daily basis. It’s hard to get out of bed. It’s essentially advanced hypothyroidism. When I was first diagnosed, I went through about a year of cancer testing to see if I had cancer. Every year I get tested for cancer and every three months ... I get my levels tested. (Now) I take a dessicated pig hormone instead of synthetic hormones and I feel much better.”
Pets? “I have a cat (Lily). My cat takes care of herself. She hangs on the balcony while I’m at work and comes back in at night.”
Advice for foodies? “I would direct them more into the more adventurous stuff, the beef cheek ravioli, the octopus, the Reserva (aged meat), which I would definitely say is not for the faint of heart. You have to know what it is.”
Marlon Simbulan, age 32
Executive chef, Nove Italiano at Palms
He didn’t always know he’d become a chef, but from the moment Marlon Simulan signed up with a culinary school in San Diego, the Guam native has been on a path toward his current high rank at Nove Italiano.
For Simbulan, food has always played an integral role in his life, whether at large family meals (he has eight siblings) or as the reward for a well-played game of throwdown basketball (the loser of the game cooked—and sometimes the winner did, too). His mother, the primary cook in the family, would often make the meals after those games, too.
Although he had considered other careers, Simbulan decided to head to culinary school in his 20s to train for life as a chef. Halfway through his program at the school, he was asked to work at Addison Grand Del Mar, a celebrated five-star restaurant in San Diego. Simbulan expanded his repertoire with a catering stint, then moved to Vegas and (Nove Italiano) as a line chef. Within two years, he’d been named chef de cuisine; and now, executive chef.
“I guess you could say I got my competitiveness from sports—and from me being the youngest of eight in my family,” he says. “I always wanted to prove to my siblings and my parents that I could do the best—be the best.”
It looks like he’s proven that now.
Photo Gallery
Favorite ingredient: “I would probably say potatoes. I love making gnocchis and pastas with potatoes.”
Favorite surprise ingredient? “Eggs. (while I was) growing up, my dad would have boiled egg, rice and fresh tomatoes (for lunch almost every day). I kind of picked up on that and they’re in a lot of things I make.”
Pet peeve in the kitchen? “Planning—and labels; once they are done, change out containers.”
Pet peeve out of the kitchen? “People who don’t know how to drive.”
Strangest ingredient you’ve ever used? “When I first started cooking at Addison, I had never touched—or ate—foie gras (duck liver). When I first tried it, I was like ‘disgusting,’ but when (I tried it in) different preparations, I was like ‘delicious.’ Expand your palate.”
Hobbies? “I play basketball ... that gives me peace of mind. When I’m on the court, I’m in the zone. I also go to church—giving back to God—go running, to the gym, (I) work out. When you work long hours, you have to somehow balance your life, meaning you’ve got to work out to do your job, so you’re healthy... you’re fit.”
What is going on with you, culinarily speaking, outside of your day-to-day job? “I spend time with family and friends (and) cook for them; I cook for my neighbors, too. When I cook for (just) for myself, I don’t eat. I experiment a lot, have fun in the mornings.”
Fatimah Madyun, age 32
Chef de cuisine, Rao’s at Caesars Palace
She didn’t grow up cooking Italian cuisine, but Fatimah Madyun has made that art her own. Madyun helms Rao’s at Caesars Palace, the Vegas outpost of the famous N.Y. original. Like many other chefs, Madyun grew up with a sense of where she might someday end up.
“I had always wanted to be a cook. I knew that I wanted to pursue the arts in some way and cooking was always something that I enjoyed and just happened to be the one category of the arts that I was the best at and enjoyed the most. My parents and grandmother were also all avid cooks, so that made it easy for me to get interested in the field as well.”
The Pennsylvania native attended The Pennsylvania Culinary Institute and spent five years at a five-diamond resort, The Broadmoor, and about a year at Fairmont Scottsdale Princess. Then Vegas beckoned and Madyun took a chef de tourant position at Rao’s, in essence working any, and every, part of the kitchen. Two years ago, she became chef de cuisine.
Now, she oversees a busy kitchen that can serve up to 500 dinners in a night. It’s hard work, Madyun says, but her work ethic has contributed to her success. “I like to work; I like to stay busy. ... I like to see things evolve, so since I’ve been here until now, it’s been an evolution in a bunch of different ways. ... I try to keep my ear to the ground and move where we need to move and change things where we need to change them.”
Favorite ingredient? “Onions. I put onions in everything. Onion powder, granulated onion, onion anything, I use onions in everything.”
Favorite surprise ingredient? “Smoked paprika. It adds a lot of couple different layers—you have the smoke, you have the sweet, you have the spice. Sometimes if you have it in a dish, you can’t always tell what it is—it’s the mystery ingredient sometimes, but it adds a lot of bold flavor.”
Photo Gallery
Pet peeve in the kitchen? “I have a couple… We work in such tight spaces that you always need to let people know where you are. After you’ve taken a elbow to the face; after a while that becomes No. 1. (Also), staying ahead and knowing where you are at all times and what is next for you, as a cook, as chef, as a hostess, as anything; being ahead of whatever’s about to come.”
Pet peeve out of the kitchen? “Punctuality. I’m always on time outside of work because you have such a limited amount of time outside of work so you have to cherish every moment of it.”
Advice for the average diner? “When you come here, enjoy the experience. Rao’s can be a really big experience. And it can be really fun. Our owners are in and out all the time, and they’re characters, so that’s a part of the ambience. Its really fun if you can engage with them ... it’s always Christmas here. Our bar’s like the Cheers bar—regulars on every corner—just immerse yourself in the experience, and you’ll have a great time.”
Advice for foodies? “We’ve always got a lot of cool specials. We’re meant to remind you of home; going to Sunday dinner at your Grandma’s house, but with really quality product, superbly prepared. Its that kind of situation ... Your grandma’s food but elevated—fine dining comfort food, in a sense.”
Something someone would not expect about you? “I’m an avid bowler ... I’m not in a league. Schedule does not permit that here, but I would if I could. It’s always been on my goal list. A lot of my guys bowl and are in leagues, so I’ve always wanted to get in a league with them.”
Pets: “I have one pet, the love of my life. He’s an Aussiedoodle; an Australian shepherd-poodle mix. His name is Poppy, like the seed. He’s like 30 pounds. I’m looking for a girlfriend for him, to keep him company when I’m at work.”
David Mangual, age 36
Executive chef, Double Barrel Roadhouse at Monte Carlo
When you meet David Mangual, you might suspect that there’s more to him than meets the eye. And there is, about 20 years more. Despite his youthful looks, Mangual has been working in restaurants since he was 14, when a family friend helped him land a job in a local Vegas eatery. He says that’s where he learned that he had a passion for the art of cooking.
“I was always really into food, whether it was helping my grandma make tortillas in the kitchen when I was 8 years old or just experimenting with food every year after; it just kind of stuck with me.”
Mangual pursued that passion in high school and his college years, taking higher-level culinary courses while in high school and nursing ambitious dreams. As he says, “I wanted to go to New York to work in a five-star restaurant, but it came to me, luckily.” The chef had longtime stints at Renoir and Sensi before switching gears from fine cuisine and scoring the top spot at SBE’s Double Barrel Roadhouse two years ago. And Mangual’s drive isn’t fading—in addition to Double Barrel duties, when Hyde opens its lounge at the T-Mobile Arena on concert nights, you'll see his influence in the venue's food.
To what does he attribute his success? “I think a lot of it is my experience, my hands-on experience. I did a lot of things just because I wanted to learn.”
Something someone would not expect about you? “I’m really into cars; I have a ’48 Merc and a ’64 Impala. ... At one time I had over 30 cars in my backyard (laughs); they didn’t all work.” Today, he has four vehicles: the Mercury, the’ Impala, a Hummer and what he refers to as “an everyday driver.”
Photo Gallery
Favorite ingredient: “I like truffles; the essence, the truffle—truffle everything. Truffle fries, truffle foam, truffle cocktails.”
Favorite surprise ingredient? Cilantro. “In this menu, we have a lot of cilantro.”
Strangest ingredient you’ve ever used? “Galangal.”
Pet peeve in the kitchen: “Don’t touch any food that is going out to the customer.”
Some advice for the average diner: “Order appetizers and a few different things and split; (get) small plates so everyone shares. If you get entrées, order something different, and ask for some shared plates; you get to try a lot of different foods without getting so full off one dish.”
Advice for a foodie: “Try signature dishes ... try what we are known for. Try to see if you can (distinguish) the flavors that we put in. I do that a lot; it’s how I get inspired. I go out and try to recreate the dish ...”
Pets: Mangual has two dogs—Teacup Yorkies.
Christina Nasso, age 33
Head baker and general manager, Carlo’s Bakery at The Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian and The Palazzo
Like many in the culinary industry, Christina Nasso found inspiration young—she baked a lot with her mom and grandmother—even the local Brooklyn, N.Y., bakeries made her feel she belonged there. But unlike many others, she didn’t follow that passion.
Instead she worked in the body-piercing and tattoo industries, and in the insurance world. She made a good salary and was respected by her coworkers—but under that was a well of boredom and dissatisfaction. “I was 25 when I realized, ‘I’m so miserable’—and I was successful at my job, but I was missing something. I think the lack of creativity, being able to do something every day ... was killing me a little bit.” So she listened to her heart, and her friends and family, and enrolled in school to learn the business of baking. After interning at a respected bakery, she worked up the nerve to apply at Carlo’s Bakery, with Buddy Valastro of Cake Boss fame and his coterie. She stayed there three years, then opened a Times Square location as head baker.
Three more years and she moved to Las Vegas in 2014, doing the same thing, but without backup. “The cool part of this place (are ) the challenges ... I was like, ‘Damn, I’m on my own, I don’t have, like, Frankie (Amato) or Mauro (Castano) to ask, ‘How do I do this?’ I’ve gotta figure it out ... that’s what I think is cool about it.”
What was the most significant factor in your success at a young age? “Long hours ... I feel like ... the only way you’re going to get what you want is to work for it. You’ve got to push yourself and eventually you’ll get there. Hard work, man—I should get that tattooed.”
Pet peeve in the kitchen? “I work with a lot of people who don’t have that much experience, and that’s fine. But I think slow-moving, slow workers really irritate me... You can tell who’s having a hard time—and who doesn’t care, and if you don’t care, get out.”
Photo Gallery
Pet peeve out of the kitchen? “Rude people. Only thing that makes me upset during the day ... Rude people, I hate ’em. There’s only so much a girl can take.”
Favorite ingredient: “Passion fruit. If I can use that ... I really want to put it in everything. There’s some French bakeries who put passion fruit in everything.”
Something someone would not expect about you? “I am really nice, that I have feelings. I had an intern say that to me once, ‘You don’t have any feelings.’ In the kitchen, no, outside, (yes).”
Pets: Nasso has five pit bulls: Buttercream, Sprinkles and three cuter-than-cupcakes pups. Buttercream is white and Sprinkles is white with brown specks.
Advice for average diner? “They should try the lobster tails; they’re delicious. Mark your calories down.”
