Restaurant Chefs
Beau Rivage Chefs
Executive Chef Joseph Friel
Chef Joseph Friel, executive chef at Beau Rivage Resort and Casino, is no stranger to the fine-dining industry. With more than 25 years of experience as executive chef for some of New York’s most prestigious restaurants and hotels, Friel delivers expertise in classical fine dining complemented by a fresh perspective on trend-setting menus. Among his chief culinary accomplishments before joining Beau Rivage, Friel was honored as one of the Great Chefs of New York and invited to cook at the renowned James Beard House.
Born in the small Gaelic speaking area of Donegal in northwest Ireland, Friel recognized his passion young working alongside professional chefs in his parents’ hotel. After leaving Ireland for the second time, he officially began his culinary career in the United States in 1977 at the renowned Pierre Hotel. Though he started at the bottom, by 1986, he worked his way from breakfast cook to chef entremetier and chef saucier, and became established as one of the Great Chefs of New York.
His professional career underway, Friel joined New York’s famous “21” Club as executive sous chef where he managed all restaurant operations and worked alongside notable Chefs Sailhac and Rosenzweig. Two years later, Friel opened the intimate and exclusive northern Italian restaurant, San Domenico. Under the direction of Chef Valentino Marcattilii – a two star recipient from the Michelin Guide – Friel honed his culinary skills and help catapult the restaurant to tremendous popularity among the New York elite. Cementing its status, The New York Times awarded the restaurant a coveted ‘three stars.’
In 1988, Friel became The Plaza Hotel’s executive banquet chef, directing a staff of 50 chefs. Utilizing his artistic skills, Friel orchestrated high-profile fund-raising functions and extravagant events for celebrities such as Donald and Ivana Trump, Eddie Murphy and Joan Rivers. During his tenure, Friel also handled prestigious corporate events with finesse, coordinating TIME magazine’s 75th anniversary celebration and Tiffany & Co.’s “Feather Ball.”
More than a decade later, Friel became executive chef at the Old Westbury Golf & Country Club until he was hired away to work alongside Chef Geoffrey Zakarian at three-star restaurant, Town, in New York – first as assistant executive chef and then executive chef. Most recently, Beau Rivage welcomed Friel and his tremendous culinary accomplishments to the MGM MIRAGE family.
Chef Olan Lambert
BR Prime
As a native of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Chef Olan Lambert brings the authenticity of coastal cuisine to Beau Rivage Resort & Casino. Inspired at the age of 14 to become a chef, Lambert spent his childhood not watching cartoons or sitcoms, but cooking programs by world-renowned Chef Paul Prudhomme. Prudhomme inspired Lambert to such a degree that he knew he wanted to dedicate the remainder of his life to the simple pleasure of cooking.
Lambert attended culinary school at Florida Culinary in West Palm Beach, Fla. After graduation, Lambert brought his talents home and began his career at Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in August 2000. Shortly thereafter, Lambert was promoted to sous chef and was awarded the titles of both chef of room service and chef of Terrace Café.
In September of 2008, Lambert was promoted to chef of BR Prime. In this position, Lambert is responsible for overseeing all food preparation and kitchen service in the restaurant, executing a normal flow of operations, monitoring food cost, ordering food, training of new employees and enforcing safety policies. Lambert is also responsible for creating new daily specials and soups to compliment the exceptional BR Prime menu. With a passion for cooking and a flair for flavor, guests at Beau Rivage appreciate the panache with which Lambert prepares each and every dish.
Lambert has competed in several culinary competitions placing first at the Biloxi Seafood Festival as well as in New Iberia, Louisiana in the “most unique” category for his signature Duck Gumbo.
Chef Alberto Rosa
Jia
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y. and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Rosa is not what one might consider a traditional Asian Chef. After graduating high school, Rosa moved to Orlando, Fla. to pursue a civil engineering degree at the University of Central Florida. While there, he spent much of his spare time working in hotel kitchens and restaurants and discovered that his true passion was cooking.
After a stint at China Coast, one of General Mills’ restaurants in Orlando, Rosa decided to travel the coast to learn new culinary styles in places such as the Casa Marina Hotel in Key West, Fla. and the House of Blues in New Orleans, La.
In 2001, Rosa returned to Orlando and concentrated his efforts into pursuing his real interest - Asian cuisine. Rosa worked as lead cook for celebrity Chef Roy Yamaguchi at Roy’s Hawaiian Fusion and quickly moved up the ranks at various Roy’s Hawaiian Fusion locations including serving as sous chef in Sarasota, Fla. and executive sous chef in Jacksonville Beach, Fla.
After spending years studying under his mentor, the renowned Chef Yamaguchi, Rosa brings his
creativity and expertise to Beau Rivage. Chef Rosa is responsible for the resort’s unique Asian fusion restaurant, Jia. Japanese for “beautiful,” Jiafeatures three distinct dining experiences including authentic sushi, teppanyaki and pan-Asian cuisine created from simple, quality ingredients. Rosa’s menu spotlights a variety of soups, salads, noodles and regional specialties from Thailand, Japan, China, Vietnam and Hong Kong-style barbecue.
Chef Mark Agent
Terrace Café
Born and raised in South Mississippi, Chef Mark Agent was inspired to cook by his grandmothers at a young age. With a heartfelt passion for food and a flair for Southern cooking, Agent began his career at Beau Rivage Resort & Casino as a part of the opening team in 1999. With his start as a pantry worker, Agent names previous Beau Rivage chefs as mentors and his inspiration for his culinary advancement at the Beau.
Currently, Agent serves as chef of Terrace Café and Room Service. Prior to his current position, Agent served as chef of Coast restaurant, Beau Rivage’s premier place for comfort food. Mixing scrumptious creations with Southern traditions, Agent prepares a menu pleasing to all palates.
Chef Gabriel Kluck
Memphis Q
Born in Germany but raised on the Gulf Coast, Kluck was first inspired to become a chef as a child. His inspiration stemmed from his grandmother who owned her own restaurant. Here, Kluck would sit with fascination, watching her for hours from a kitchen stool as she mixed, chopped, seasoned and baked. His youthful curiosity and his grandmother’s patience served as Kluck’s foundation as he began his culinary career.
Kluck brought his love for cooking and his coastal taste for Gumbo, his Southern favorite, to the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in 1999. As an original member of the Beau Rivage team, his ambition and culinary talents lead him through the ranks to become an admired chef at one of Beau Rivage’s most favored restaurants, Memphis Q. Menu options are endless inside this fun and funky restaurant and Kluck’s unique style of fire grilling truly brings Southern comfort into some of the restaurant’s finest culinary selections. For a taste of down-home cooking, look no further than this Southern favorite for juicy steaks and Memphis traditions such as house-smoked chicken, fried delta catfish and deliciously tempting Southern desserts.
Chef Jaison Sheckart
Fallen Oak
Jaison Sheckart began working at Beau Rivage in February of 1999 as part of the resort’s opening team. Sheckart began as lead cook at Café Jardin and was later promoted to sous chef of both Café Jardin and Coast. After Hurricane Katrina, Sheckart returned to Beau Rivage and assisted with the opening of Terrace Café. In October of 2006, Sheckart was promoted to the position of chef at Fallen Oak Golf Course. At Fallen Oak, Sheckart is responsible for satisfying the taste buds of all golf enthusiasts who frequent Beau Rivage.
Born in Southbend, Indiana, Sheckart was raised in Long Beach, Mississippi. He attended Delgado Community College in New Orleans, Louisiana, and participated in the Associate of Applied Studies ACF Apprenticeship Program. He is currently a member of the New Orleans Chapter of the American Culinary Federation.
Before beginning his career at Beau Rivage, Sheckart had 15 years of culinary experience on the Gulf Coast. He worked in several different well-known restaurants including Chappy’s Restaurant and The Chimney’s Restaurant in Long Beach; Copeland’s in New Orleans; Back Bay Buffet at the IP Casino Resort Spa; and Sister’s at the Grand Casino Biloxi.
A graduate of the MGM MIRAGE Management Development Program, Shechart is a Beau Rivage Diversity Champion.
Sommelier Mark Warren
BR Prime
As sommelier at Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, Mark Warren oversees a wine list of more than 350 selections with ever-changing daily wine-pairings to accompany the resort’s many award-winning menus.
Warren’s passion for the vine has taken him to the wine countries of France, Italy, Australia, California and Virginia, and earned him a certificate from the Court of Master Sommeliers.
Warren began his culinary career nearly a decade ago working in many facets of the restaurant business before delving exclusively into cultivating his mastery of wine and his pursuit of becoming a sommelier. In his earlier roles, Warren served respectively as general manager and operating partner for Mississippi-based restaurants Chicago Steakhouse and Bonne Terre, shaping and maintaining wine lists, educating staff on food and wine service, and developing tasting menus and wine dinners for guests beyond his managerial and operational responsibilities.
Warren’s interests then took him to Virginia with The Country Vintner, for which he procured and managed the company’s Australia and New Zealand portfolio, comprised of both direct and secondary imports. In this role, Warren corresponded directly with winery principals and secondary suppliers while managing a sales staff spanning eight states. Warren’s marketing savvy and creative sales techniques displayed through tastings, trade shows and wine dinners increased sales of his products from $.5 million to $5 million during his tenure with the company. Before joining Beau Rivage, Warren relocated to Philadelphia to work with Vine Street Imports managing wine distributors in 14 states, sharing his sales and marketing expertise to help them achieve impressive sales results for their many product lines.
A graduate from the University of Mississippi with a degree in psychology, Warren feels the most important characteristic of wine has little to do with its technical components, but rather the joy it brings to the table.
