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JOSE MENDIN MICHAEL MCLAURIN
Rivertail Del Frisco’s Grille

My great-grandmother was My passion for cooking came
a cooking teacher, and my from watching my aunt and
dad loved food. I never my parents cook at home. I
cooked at home, because attended Washburne Culinary
my mother didn’t like other in Chicago.
people in her kitchen. When The guests and the people I
my dad got me a job in a work with. I enjoy helping
restaurant, I learned in the people grow their careers as
kitchen, and I liked the work. other people helped me grow
I went to culinary school at mine.
Johnson & Wales.
Trying to make everybody
I most enjoy the hospitality side. Making people happy in happy, employees as well as guests. I do anything I can to
a restaurant is about making memories and being with make that happen.
family and friends. I also love cooking and learning new
things to do in the kitchen. Del Frisco’s has a corporate chef who does all the menu
planning. I do make different features for different nights.
Forming a good team; people who really care about and
believe in what you’re doing and want to grow with you.
Also, creating consistency in the kitchen.
KHRUAWAN RUSSMETES
We have a concept, and we build the menu around that Sky Thai Sushi
concept. I work with American flavors, but also global I was a nurse in New York,
flavors. We work on a dish to get it right, then we put it on and after I got married and
the menu. We make food that’s fun. had a baby, I cooked for my
Fort Lauderdale is more relaxed than Miami, and I’m super family and friends. They said
excited to be there. The name Rivertail came from a my food was good—why
combination of the river front and yellowtail snapper, a fish don’t you open a restaurant?
I grew up eating in Puerto Rico. So I did. When I came to
(Editor: While Rivertail isn’t directly on Las Olas, located nearby Florida for a vacation, I liked
on Fort Lauderdale’s riverfront, we're delighted to have Jose it, so I sold the place in New
Mendin, a founder of the Pubbelly Restaurant Group, aboard.) York. I opened first in
Hialeah, then North Miami
Beach, Deerfield, Wilton
MAXI POTEMKIN Manors, and then came to Las Olas.
Casa Sensei When people tell me a dish is good. I enjoy creating new
I’m passionate about the things for my customers.
culinary arts, and I love There’s high-end sushi in a lot of places now. I started
different flavors. It’s something doing it in 1992.
I always wanted to do.
I make what we eat back home--original Thai food. I think
Playing around with different people are excited by something new. I bring dishes from
flavor profiles and cuisines. Bangkok, and if people like them, I put them on the menu.

Being innovative and finding It’s exciting to see the people walk past the restaurant—
new recipes. tourists, regulars, the young crowd—they come from all over.

What’s trending, and customer Editor: As we close out our 'Meet The Chefs' series with this
reception. I try to stay creative. segment, we are hopeful that we'll see all of our Chefs and

I enjoy Fort Lauderdale in general—the nice weather and restaurant workers back to work full-time on the Boulevard
the beach. again soon!

32 LAS OLAS BOULEVARD & ISLES