Certified Master Chef Stefan Richter. Working in the kitchen with
Celestino Drago to express the vision of Enoteca Drago was his last
step in this chef's brilliant career before starting his own
adventure Stefan's Catering.
Richter most recently was the longtime Executive Chef of the
Villagio Inn & Spa in Napa, California, Executive Sous-Chef at the
Bacara Resort & Spa in Santa Barbara, California, Executive
Sous-Chef at the Bellagio Hotel, Resort & Spa in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Executive Sous-Chef at the Suko Thai Resort & Spa in Bankok
Thailand.
Richter was born in Finland, but called Germany home for the
majority of his childhood. Inspired by the diligent work ethic of
his father, Richter spent years training in all areas of the
kitchen. Richter's formal guidance began in 1987, where he
completed the three year apprenticeship program at the prestigious
Hotel and Culinary School in Immenstadt, Germany and in Bad
Woerischofen, Germany. The highlight of his third year in the
program was an eighteen-month apprenticeship at the two-star
Michelin restaurant of the Landhotel Schlosswirtschaft in
Illereichen, Germany, where he trained in all areas from Pastry to
Saucier, Entremetier to Gardemanger under chef Manfred
Fuhrer.
It was during this time that Richter was honored with the Achenbach
Award in both 1991 and 1992 and the Finlandia Award, both presented
to young European Chefs. Drawn to Switzerland's position at the
vanguard of hospitality and culinary training, Richter relocated to
train at Zurich's Hotel and Culinary School to train in pastry and
confections.
Upon completion of his formal education, Richter rotated his way
through various European kitchens, from Commis de Cuisine, Chef
Saucier, and Chef Patisserie at the Kur and Sports Hotel in
Allgaeuer Tor, Germany, to the one-star Michelin Maritim Seehotel
in Timmendorfer Strand, Germany, where he held the Chef Tournant
position.
Through a longterm partnership with the Kur and Sports Hotel,
Richter was able to train in some of the finest kitchens around the
world, including stints as Chef Stage at the Chateau Lake Louise in
Canada. Suko-Thai Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand. Upon return to
Allgaeuer Tor, Richter was promoted to Sous-Chef, where he
continued his commitment to local produce by creating an extensive
for herbs and vegetables.
After spending additional time in the Italian regions of
Switzerland, Richter traveled to the United States as Sous-Chef and
Gardemanger for the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Dearborn, Michigan. He
was soon invited to join master chefs Grant McPherson, Sotta Kuhn,
Jacques Torres, Jean Philip Maury and Marc Poidevin as part of the
creative team for the opening of the Bellagio Hotel, Resort & Spa
in Las Vegas in September 1998. As Executive Sous-Chef, he created,
developed and executed menus for a twenty-five million dollar
banquet kitchen that catered high-profile events ranging from
Wolfgang Puck's 50th Birthday Party to the Padovani's Bistro First
Anniversary Event in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Always hungry for professional accreditation, Richter completed the
intensely grueling Certified Master Chef Diploma from
Wuerzburg/Schweinfurt.
Stefan Richter currently resides in Los Angeles, California but
spends the summer months hunting and fishing in his native Finland. |
