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Considered by many in the industry and the culinary community as one of the most respected leaders and owner /chefs in a town rapidly becoming known as the fine dining capitol of the nation, it is no secret that the talent and energy behind Ambria, Mon Ami Gabi and Café Ba-Ba-Reeba! Comes from Gabino Sotelino, vice president, executive chef, partner as well as part owner of all four restaurants with Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, Inc.
Having garnered dozens of accolades since he opened Ambria in 1980, Sotelino's Ambria was most recently rated Chicago's favorite restaurant by the 1998 Zagat guide. In 1997, Chef Sotelino was bestowed the Perrier-Jouet chef of the Midwest award by the James Beard Foundation, the most prestigious award given in the United States. Gourmet magazine's best restaurants in America listed Ambria as "one of the top tables in the Midwest" in 1997, 1998 and 1999. Gault Millau's The Best of Chicago, calls Sotelino "one of the most gifted chefs in the Midwest - and a lot of other towns as well," and gave Ambria a rating of three toques. The Best of Chicago awarded only four restaurants with this honor, which was the highest given. Sotelino was also named "Chicago Chef of the Year" by the Chefs of America in 1990.
For the past ten years, Ambria has received a four - star ranking from Chicago Magazine, Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun Times. The American Automobile Association has also rewarded Ambria the coveted five - diamond ranking. Ambria has also swept first and second place honors in Zagat guides under food, service and ambiance categories for more than twelve consecutive years.
Active in community and industry affairs, Sotelino has been honored with some of the most prestigious awards. Sotelino was awarded with the Medalla al Merito Nacional of Spain in 1990. It is the most distinguished award given by the king of Spain to a Spanish native living outside the country who has demonstrated outstanding service and contribution to his country. He has been honored with the Academie Culinaire de France, an award traditionally given to French national chefs for their outstanding contributions to the culinary arts of France-Sotelino was the first Spaniard to receive this prestigious French award. He is also a member of the Commanderie des Cordon Bleus de France, a select group of expert chefs chosen from around the world. He is also one of only three national chairpersons of the grand master chefs association. Sotelino has also held the highly regarded position of president of the Euro-Toques inc. U.S.A. Chapter.
Sotelino's primary role is keeping each one of his restaurants far ahead of the competition. On a day to day basis, Sotelino directs his team of culinarians, floor staff and managers, ensuring the consistent quality that is so important to the success of his four restaurants. Sotelino strives to make sure that all of his restaurants accommodate customers' changing needs, tastes and desires.
Chicago embraced the talents of Sotelino upon his arrival in 1974 when he assumed the position and quickly established himself as the premier executive chef for the four-star restaurant Le Perroquet. In 1977, he met Richard Melman, Lettuce Entertain You Enterprise's CEO and founder, who offered him a position as the chef for LEYE's newly acquired restaurant, The Pump Room. Sotelino accepted and, as a master of his craft, soon turned the pump room into one of the finest restaurants in the Midwest.
The partnership between Sotelino and Melman flourished and they were soon planning the creation of LEYE's first original fine dining restaurant, Ambria, which opened to rave reviews in 1980. In 1981, Gabino introduced Chicago to a true Parisian bistro with Un Grand Café, a combination of Ambria's quality cuisine in a more informal atmosphere. In 1985, he unleashed Chicago's very first tapas restaurant with Café Ba-Ba-Reeba!. Subsequently, Café Ba-Ba-Reeba! Has made tapas, the hot and cold appetizers of Spain, an integral element of Chicago's dining scene. In June of 1998, Sotelino began construction on a brief renovation of Un Grand Café that evolved into an entirely new concept, Mon Ami Gabi. Mon Ami Gabi's menu signals a return to simple French food and features the classic steak frites as well as a wide selection of fresh seafood and daily plats du jour.
In September of 1999, Sotelino traveled out west and opened Mon Ami Gabi in the Paris Hotel. Mon Ami Gabi in Las Vegas has become one of the most successful restaurants in the country. It is nestled at the base of the Eiffel Tower and its patio has a spectacular view of Bellagio's world-famous water fountains. You'll be swept away by this breathtaking combination of water, music and light. Guests feel as though they have been whisked away to France as they sip on wine, feel the warm breeze and dine on its traditional French flare. After Mon Ami Gabi's proven succes Sotelino searched for the perfect place in Las Vegas to open his signature tapas restaurant, Café Ba Ba Reeba. A great opportunity came in 2004 and in the summer Sotelino opened Café Ba Ba Reeba! at the Fashion Show Mall. Sotelino, was proud to introduce authentic Spanish cuisine to the Las Vegas Valley just the way he did in Chicago almost 20 years earlier. The décor at Café Ba Ba Reeba! has an old-world Spanish charm of dark wood-tones and warm architecture along with an infusion of modern touches and colors.
A native of Spain, Sotelino, 57, was born to a Basque mother and a Galician father in Vigo, a city in northwestern Spain. At age nine, his family enrolled him in the San Francisco el Grande seminary in Madrid. His religious vocation lasted until he was twelve, when he decided to leave and became a bellhop at the posh Hotel Ritz. After making enough detours through the kitchen, he finally landed a job on the cooking staff at age fourteen.
From the Ritz, he moved to other top hotel kitchens throughout Europe including Plaza Athenee in Paris and Koons Hotel in Switzerland. He eventually joined Hilton International Hotels as part of a team opening hotels around the world including Hong Kong, London, Cairo, Istanbul, Tokyo, the Canary Islands as well as Montreal where he eventually stayed.
After spending a year and a half working at the Montreal Exposition, Sotelino moved to the united states where he joined the Madison Hotel organization opening new hotels before becoming the executive chef at Capitol Hill Restaurants. His duties included service for special functions at the White House. Soon after, Le Perroquet called and his culinary contributions to the city of Chicago began. |
