Chef Mike grew up in Sacramento, California, and learned to cook by watching his Sicilian mother and grandmother dish up spectacular Christmas Eve dinners and nightly meals that were just as tasty. When he was 12 his mother took a traveling sales job. With a father whose idea of cooking was making a sandwich, Chef Mike was determined to make meals just like his mother and grandmother had. By age 16 he was helping at local restaurants, and at age 18 he became a professional chef and completed a culinary apprenticeship at the Greenbrier Hotel in West Virginia. In his nearly 30-year career he has taken various chef positions at four and five star resorts in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Arizona, Louisiana, Maui, Utah, California and Texas.

Just a few days after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, Chef Mike began consulting with and later accepted the challenge of being the Executive Chef at the historic Windsor Court Hotel. He was tasked with reopening all culinary operations at the world class hotel, while revamping the menu at its fabled restaurant, The New Orleans Grill. While Chef Mike ensured that every guest had the perfect meal, he will never forget meeting with then President Bush on several occasions and preparing many meals for him and his staff during their visits to the city.

Chef Mike is working on updating the JL Bar menu’s, keeping many of the dishes that locals and guests love while bringing his own unique creations to diners’ plates. He envisions the menu as one that blends Hill Country Flavors and influences, combined with Subtle Sophistication to produce rustic dishes that are full of bold yet simple flavors. Chef Mike is working to train his sous chefs to cook by taste, rather than recipe, a skill they will continue to need as the resort strives to purchase as many local ingredients as possible, including eggs, fresh produce, meats and seafood.

“My goal with JL Bar is to make it friendly to both travelers and local residents,” said Chef Mike. “My vision is to create dishes and an atmosphere where everyone feels comfortable coming in, relaxing and eating fabulous food that is also friendly to their pocketbooks.”