Pechanga Resort Casino last week announced the promotion of Executive Sous Chef Andre Pinto to executive chef.
The promotion puts Pinto at the helm of culinary operations at the Temecula, California resort. In this role, he will oversee 12 restaurants, an in-house bakery, banquet kitchens and a stewarding department with approximately 121 employees under his direction. He will continue to ensure all ingredients and every dish is of the highest quality, as well as staying ahead of culinary, dining and resort industry trends.
Pinto joined the Pechanga team in 2014. Starting as the kitchen supervisor of Kelsey’s, an upscale American pub, Pinto quickly established his place at Pechanga. His technical and creative skills along with his culinary management abilities led to his installment as head chef at Paisano’s Italian restaurant at the resort. In 2018, he was promoted to head chef at the Great Oak Steakhouse, Pechanga’s AAA Four-Diamond and Wine Spectator-awarded restaurant.
Rising from sous chef to executive chef “has taught me to never forget where I started and where I come from,” said Pinto. “I will always be humble and will never forget the lessons I’ve learned from amazing cooks and chefs along the way. Moving forward, it’s my goal to always anticipate guests’ expectations and have pride in the creations I help my team put the Pechanga name on.”
Pechanga Resort Casino is home to a dozen restaurants showcasing many styes of food, including Chinese, Thai, Italian, Japanese, Mexican and gastropub. The resort also features spacious event and catering spaces, as well as an ambitious in-house bakery whose team produces desserts and pastries daily.
