About
Chef Mario Amaral grew up in Southern California before joining the U.S. Coast Guard in 2001. Mario was always fascinated by food and cooking, so upon departure from the military in 2005, he moved to Las Vegas, NV to attend Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts. From culinary school, Mario opened Red Rock Resort and was exposed to multiple kitchens from buffets to banquets in a hotel setting.
Mario went on to work at Olives inside the AAA Five Diamond Bellagio Hotel. While at Olives, Mario caught the attention of Chef Todd English and was asked to assist in opening multiple restaurants in Las Vegas and across the country. In addition to this, he assisted Chef English with multiple television appearances on shows like The Talk, Access Hollywood, and the Home Shopping Network. Mario then went on to open The Cake Boss star Buddy Valastro’s restaurant, Buddy V’s, inside The Venetian Hotel, and work Wolfgang Puck at his flagship restaurant, Spago, inside Caesars Palace Hotel. Mario assisted and consulted on multiple private restaurant openings in Las Vegas before being recruited by the Tuscan Brands Group in Salem, NH to open a brand-new restaurant in the Seaport district of Boston, MA and oversee operations at the groups’ flagship restaurant in Salem, NH. Mario then reunited with Chef Todd English after a chance encounter on Nantucket Island. From there, Mario went on to oversee operations at Todd English P.U.B. in Birmingham, AL, followed by assisting with operations at Chef English’s restaurants in West Palm Beach, FL and Boston, MA, as well as assisting Chef English with multiple events, including Super Bowl LIV and new restaurant openings in Las Vegas.
Chef Mario has also won many culinary competitions, including round 1 of Iron Chef Bellagio, BOH Brawl, and the Las Vegas DICED competition. He is very excited to be back in Southern California to share his experience and passion for cuisine on this new adventure!
