Mariano Ochoa, Chef
Chef Mariano Ochoa brings more than 15 years of culinary experience to his role as Executive Chef of Beauty & Essex Las Vegas. A Las Vegas native, Ochoa began his culinary career in 2009 and has since built an extensive background in high-volume restaurant operations, menu development and kitchen leadership. Today, he oversees the culinary operations at Beauty & Essex Las Vegas, leading the kitchen and bringing the restaurant's signature menu to life.
Ochoa began his career at Herbs & Rye in Las Vegas, where he worked his way through nearly every level of the kitchen. Starting as a dishwasher and prep cook in 2009, he quickly advanced to line cook, sous chef and ultimately Executive Chef in 2014. During his tenure, Ochoa oversaw kitchen operations, managed and trained culinary teams, developed menus, and maintained food costs. His time at Herbs & Rye helped shape his leadership style and provided the foundation for his continued growth as a chef.
In 2018, Ochoa expanded his leadership role as Executive Chef of Cleaver Butchered Meats, Seafood & Classic Cocktails, where he played an integral role in opening the Las Vegas restaurant. He developed the concept's main and banquet menus, helped design and build the kitchen and led operations for a venue capable of serving up to 500 guests while simultaneously supporting banquet events. He also served as Corporate Chef and Partner for Infantry Inc., overseeing Herbs & Rye, Cleaver and the brand's future concepts.
Prior to taking on these leadership roles, Ochoa gained additional experience in large-scale hospitality as a banquet cook at Wynn Resorts, where he worked on events serving more than 3,000 guests and prepared dishes across a variety of cuisines and dietary needs.
In May 2021, Ochoa joined Beauty & Essex Las Vegas as Sous Chef, bringing more than a decade of Las Vegas culinary experience to the restaurant. He was promoted to Executive Sous Chef in 2022 before taking the helm as Executive Chef in 2023. In his current role, Ochoa leads the culinary team and oversees the day-to-day execution of the restaurant's culinary program.
