Restaurant Chefs
Beau Rivage Chefs
Executive Chef Joseph Friel
Incomparable Vision
Uncompromising Taste
Bringing over three decades of experience and award-winning talent to the table, the vision and leadership of Executive Chef Joseph Friel inspires the culinary team of Beau Rivage to achieve its highest potential in all aspects of the company's food and beverage operations. As the company's own "Top Chef," his laser focus is evident throughout Beau Rivage -- from elaborate, large scale banquets to the unique culinary points of view presented by each restaurant on property.
Chef Friel's impeccable reputation is built on a career of high-profile positions in New York’s most prestigious restaurants and hotels, including the fabled “21” Club, The Pierre, and The Plaza (where, as Executive Banquet Chef, Friel finessed such notable events as TIME magazine’s 75th anniversary celebration and Tiffany & Co.’s “Feather Ball”). Named one of the Great Chefs of New York and invited to cook at the famed James Beard House, he joined Beau Rivage in 2001 and has been instrumental in the evolution of the Gulf Coast's most innovative dining venues. A native of Donegal, Ireland, Chef Friel's passion for food was honed early on, working alongside chefs in his parents' hotel. The journey has been long and remarkable, but this Celtic tiger shows no signs of waning. We invite you to experience the gastronomic vision and progressive, but classic, approach that has delighted celebrities such as Donald Trump, Tony Bennett, Joan Rivers and Eddie Murphy.
Chef T.J. Antell
Jia
DELICIOUSLY UNCONVENTIONAL
A Texan of partial Japanese heritage, Chef T.J. Antell is as multicultural as he is multitalented. Charismatic and intense, he personifies the individualistic ideals of his generation both in personal style and culinary passion. Like the food he creates for Jia, T.J. stands out in a crowd.
From Texas to Florida to Manhattan and now the Mississippi Gulf Coast, T.J. has always followed his instincts, developing a fresh and uncompromising approach to his craft while advancing his career in some of the country’s most innovative kitchens. His dedication and vision has elevated the Pan Asian menu at Beau Rivage’s Jia to new heights. With back-to-back Four Diamond Awards and nods from Wine Spectator, Jia’s upscale fusion of traditional Asian flavors and classical European techniques has acquired a fiercely devoted clientele. Chef T.J. presides over the action as diners indulge in artful sushi, crowd-pleasing teppanyaki pyrotechnics and innovative twists on traditional Asian and Pacific Rim dishes. A visit to Jia is like a passport for your palate; we invite you to take a departure from the ordinary with Chef T.J Antell.
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.
