Alessandro Stratta facts for kids

Alessandro Stratta, born on October 29, 1964, is a famous American chef and restaurant owner. He was known as Iron Chef Italian on the TV show Iron Chef USA. In 1998, he won a special award from the James Beard Foundation for being the Best Chef in the Southwest. He was the head chef and owner of his well-known restaurant, Alex, in Las Vegas. This restaurant closed on January 15, 2011.

Later, he became the head chef and owner of "Tapas by Alex Stratta" in Summerlin, a suburb of Las Vegas. That restaurant closed in 2015. Since 2016, Chef Stratta has been the head chef at Prado restaurant. This restaurant is located at the Omni Hotel in Paradise Valley, Arizona.

About Alessandro Stratta

Early Life and Travel

Alessandro Stratta comes from a family that has worked in hotels for many generations. His father was Italian, from the Piedmont region, and his mother was French, from Nice. Both of these places are famous for their amazing food.

Because his father was in charge of Princess Hotels & Resorts, Alessandro grew up living in fancy hotels all over the world. He lived in places like Singapore, Malaysia, Italy, France, Mexico, and Pakistan. This helped him learn to speak French, Italian, Spanish, and English very well. In 1983, he graduated with top honors from the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, California.

Becoming a Chef

Chef Stratta started his cooking journey learning to make pastries at the Stanford Court Hotel. After that, he got a chance to work at the Hôtel de Paris in Monaco. There, a famous chef named Alain Ducasse invited Alessandro to join his team at the Louis XV restaurant.

After two years, Alessandro came back to the United States. Chef Ducasse suggested he work with another great chef, Daniel Boulud, at Le Cirque in New York City. Both Ducasse and Boulud taught Alessandro a lot about being a chef and running a restaurant. Alessandro says Ducasse taught him "how to make basic, simple food taste phenomenal." He also credits Boulud for inspiring his creativity and teaching him about business.

Leading Kitchens

In 1989, Alessandro Stratta became the head chef at Mary Elaine's restaurant. This restaurant was located at The Phoenician resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. While he was there, Food & Wine Magazine named him one of "America's Ten Best New Chefs." Under his leadership, the restaurant earned a 4-star rating from the Mobil Travel Guide. It was also called the best restaurant in the Phoenix area.

In 1998, Steve Wynn invited Stratta to become the head chef at the Renoir restaurant. This restaurant was inside The Mirage in Las Vegas. Just six months after opening, the restaurant earned the highest rating of 5 stars from the Mobil Travel Guide.

In 2005, Chef Stratta opened his own restaurant called Alex. Again, Steve Wynn asked him to open it for the grand opening of Wynn's new casino resort, Wynn Las Vegas. Chef Stratta's restaurant was a huge success. It received 5 stars from the Mobil Travel Guide, 5 diamonds from the AAA Restaurant Ratings, and 2 stars from the Michelin Guide.

On Television

In 2001, Alessandro Stratta was chosen to be Iron Chef Italian on the TV show Iron Chef USA. On the show, he was nicknamed the "Italian Scallion". Even though he says he is "not that competitive," Stratta wanted to be on the show because he liked the original Iron Chef show from Japan. In his only battle on the show, he won against chef Marcus Samuelsson.

On March 2, 2011, it was announced that Stratta would be a contestant on the third season of Top Chef Masters. This is a reality competition show on Bravo. He was eliminated during the sixth episode, finishing seventh in the competition.

Awards and Recognitions

• America's Ten Best New Chefs, Food & Wine Magazine, 1994
• Best Chef Southwest, James Beard Foundation, 1998
• Two Stars Michelin Guide for Alex
• AAA Five Diamond Award for Alex
• Five Stars Mobil Travel Guide for Alex
• Gaming Hall of Fame 2006 Inductee

Restaurants by Chef Stratta

• Alex at Wynn Las Vegas (Las Vegas)
• Stratta at Wynn Las Vegas (Las Vegas)
• Tapas by Alex Stratta (Las Vegas)
• Prado at Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia (Scottsdale)
• Salt & Pepper at Tivoli Village (Las Vegas)