Kevin Sbraga

He said “You need to go work for a great chef like Emeril Lagasse or Lawrence McFadden.” Emeril was the hottest celebrity chefs in all of America, but at the same time, Lawrence McFadden was running the culinary program at the very best hotel in the United States, The Ritz-Carlton Resort Naples. I spent the next two and half years working for Lawrence McFadden and his team. It was by far the most influential kitchen I’ve ever worked in.

While skill and experience are important, I need to know you are dedicated to excellence, willing to learn, have desire, and can work well on a team.

We are in the people business. We work with people to create an experience for people. Hospitality is not just about food, beverage, service, or ambiance. It is about the experience we create, the emotions, and the feelings. Only people can provide that.

Inspiration can come from an ingredient, a photograph, a story about someone’s grandmother, or the memory of the aroma’s from my father’s bakery.

I also like to take time to remove the focus from me and my world. I am involved at Life Fellowship Church and serve of the Safety Team as well as the Prison Ministry. By taking myself, my problems, and my thoughts out of the equation and truly focusing on the needs and safety of others allows me to be restored.

Over the past five years, I’ve held roles as Executive Chef, Consulting Chef, VP of Food Halls, and VP of Hospitality. Legends has truly allowed me to grow in so many ways. There is not one day that goes by where I am not impressed with who I get to work with or proud of where I get to work.

One of the most challenging situations occurs often and that is managing a busy travel schedule. Some of the most important life lessons I’ve learned while working with Legends is patience, flexibility, and working in ambiguity. None of which are qualities that chef is trained to have. We want the food now, we want the food consistent, and want you to follow direction exactly how we laid it out.

As with many things in life, it takes a team. Whether we are serving 5,000 concert fans at Lucas Oil Live in WinStar Casino, 300 Maryland Club members at XFinity, or family meal to our team at Spurs Club, it takes a team.

But as a people leader, it is an important trait to have. In my work life, I am intentional about creating an environment where the care of team members is recognized. While I often fall short, it is something that I am very conscience of. And I think it shows by the long lasting relationships I have with people from coast to coast in this country.