Chef Bios

Giorgio Ristorante Executive Chef, Nico Chessa

Born on the Mediterranean Island of Sardinia, Chef Chessa has had a passion for food from a very young age. Whileliving in Sardinia, he traveled each season to various northern and southern Italian regions, embracing the opportunity to learn all of the basic techniques and ingredients unique to each region.

Chessa received personal guidance from many highly-regarded professional chefs throughout Italy, gaining experiences that allowed him to master the diversities of his culinary practices.   Chessa has worked in the finest kitchens throughout Italy, Houston and Washington D.C. and joined Restaurateur Piero Selvaggio’s award-winning Valentino Restaurant Group in May of 2003. He began his career with Valentino working the line stations and as sous chef under James Beard award-winning Chef Luciano Pellegrini. With Chessa’s dedication, Giorgio provides Las Vegas locals and tourists alike with a casual, yet refined menu, featuring only the finest ingredients from both the US and Italy.

Chef Dominic Tedesco

His parents, Italian immigrants, settled in Southern Indiana after the birth of their 1^st son.  After 6 more sons were born, they welcomed Dominic Gerard into the world in 1963.  A total of 8 in all, the Tedesco boys were raised in a Midwest world very unlike their Sicilian roots.  However, Tedesco stayed true to his Italian heritage and learned to cook at his mother’s side.  From his early childhood, when Chef Dominic Tedesco was barely able to reach the stove, He was obsessed with curiousity about the appetizing aromas that wafted from the pots and pans.

Chef Dominic opened his first restaurants in Indiana and Kentucky.  With his Mediterranean look and his southern accent, “The Hillbilly Italian” became quite popular with the locals.  He also became well known on the competitive circuit winning various awards for his pizza recipes.

Chef Dominic’s competitive spirit reached a pinnacle when he qualified to be part of the US Pizza team.  Presenting his culinary masterpieces in Salsomaggiore, Italy, he placed 2^nd in North America at the World Pizza Championships in 2004.  This experience made Chef Dominic realize he wanted to take his career to a new level.

So, at the age of 40, he decided to return to the classroom and finish his culinary degree in Las Vegas.  He graduated in 2006.  Since that time, he has been sharing his pizzas and Italian dishes with a whole new audience.  After a stint at MGM Grand and time spent in the corporate culinary world, he has now found a new home in Dean’s Place, an Italian eatery.  As their Executive Chef, he has been able to perfect his dishes further; creating a unique dining experience for all who encounter him.  Regardless of a change in geographical location, Chef Dominic has never lost his charm or that Southern accent.  His work is truly blooming in the desert.

Alessandro Stoppa

Alessandro Stoppa was born in Venice, Italy in 1977. Stoppa realized his passion to be a Pastry Chef when he was a young child. During his life in Italy, he began to travel to various regions of his native country, providing him an opportunity to learn the basic techniques and ingredients unique to each area. Gold Medal Pastry Chef Parassina Enrico is one of the chefs who influenced him to become a pastry chef. In 1996, Stoppa began working at the five-star Hotel Cipriani in Venezia. In 1999, Stoppa was hired as the head pastry chef inside the four-star Hotel Rosa Alpina in San Cassiano. In the summer of 2000, Stoppa moved to Spain where he became the pastry chef at Restaurante Roccoco, located in Barcelona.

In 2002, Stoppa set his sights on North America. Upon his arrival, Stoppa joined Restaurateur Piero Selvaggio’s renowned Valentino Restaurant Group. He began his career with Valentino as the Pastry Chef for Piero Selvaggio Valentino in the Venetian Resort and Casino and Giorgio Café and Ristorante in the Mandalay Bay Place.

In 2006 Stoppa began working at the Bellagio under Chef Jean-Philippe. After nearly two years of training at the Bellagio, Stoppa returned to Valentino Restaurant Group where he is currently the Executive Pastry Chef.

Chef Sterling Burpee

Sterling Burpee is Executive Chef/Vice President of Hospitality Operations for the Culinary Training Academy (CTA), an internationally recognized model for workplace education and vocational training. In this role, he builds on the CTA’s successful relationship with 26 major Las Vegas hospitality properties to develop training and job opportunities in the hospitality industry.

Chef Sterling supervises daily culinary operations, as well as overseeing culinary apprentice programs and the food and beverage training and curricula. He is responsible for the catering operations and the restaurant, menu design, hiring, and all front-of-the-house operations.

Previously, Chef Sterling held positions such as Executive Chef of the Buffet at Wynn Las Vegas, Executive Chef at the Hanover Marriott, Senior Banquet Chef at the Marriott Marquis in Manhattan, Executive Sous Chef at the Sands, and Corporate Chef at UCLA. In 2009, he was named Restaurateur of the Year by the National Restaurant Association, and in 2006 and 2007 he was named one of the top 15 African-American chefs in the country by Ebony magazine.

With more than 26 years of professional cooking and kitchen management experience, Chef Sterling credits his apprenticeship with Master Chef George McNeill with teaching him the importance of professionalism and the quality and presentation of foods.

Chef John Simmons

I began cooking professionally at the ripe old age of 15 years old, prepping cabbage soup and flipping leo omelets and washing dishes at a local deli.  I continued to cook my way through high school and college, earning beer money and a degree in economics at the University of Illinois along the way.  Despite my enjoyment of the restaurant world, a career in the kitchen never crossed my mind.

After a few years of toiling in an office, however, I decided that there’s no place like home and in the kitchen I was home.  So I enrolled at Kendall College Culinary School in Evanston, IL and earned my degree in culinary arts.  After a year cooking in sunny Sonoma, CA, wine country I returned to Chicago and got a job on the line at a new restaurant opening in my neighborhood, Bistrot Zinc, run by a large and talented rockstar French chef, Rene Bajeux.

Well…  I learned a lot from Rene and within 3 years he was gone and I was running Bistrot Zinc, Café Zinc, and opened a second Bistrot Zinc on the Gold Coast.

Shortly thereafter Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises came calling.  It seems they were opening a monstrous French Bistro at the Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and needed a chef.   I told them “d’accord” and shipped out to Paris, Las Vegas.

Mon Ami Gabi was an immediate smash hit and became one of the 10 highest grossing restaurants in the country.  After 4 years as the executive chef  at MAG it was time for me to do my own thing.  It was 2003.  That’s when Firefly* Tapas Kitchen and Bar was conceived and subsequently born.

Firefly* is centrally located so that restaurant and club and casino employees and entertainers and performers can stop for tapas and sangria after their shifts and also so locals and visitors can hit the Fly* from any corner of town.  The eclectic list of tapas and cocktails caught on and we’ve been bangin out covers ever since.

Next up is another Firefly* under the iconic glass dome in front of the Plaza Hotel and Casino downtown.

Rock and roll…