With such accolades as Food Network Celebrity Judge attached to his moniker, 37-year old Executive Chef Thomas Connell has worked at several leading dining establishments throughout the world. Having acquired a vast knowledge of flavors and spices, as well as a flair for international cuisine, Chef Connell is an ideal fit to lead the culinary team at The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach, where culture and diversity is deeply embedded in the city.

Chef Connell’s propensity for cooking first began at five years old, watching his grandfather passionately create meals for their family on the weekends. From this boyhood fascination, Chef Connell began an endeavor of research into the vast world of gastronomy. His career began working at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, The Beekman Arms, New York and The Hyatt Regency in Los Angeles.

Chef Thomas’ fifteen year career with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company began in 1991, when he became Executive Sous Chef at The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel in California, a Five Star, five Diamond resort. Connell spent the following six years working as Executive Chef at The Hotel Arts in Barcelona, Spain. Proving that he was an authority on cooking as well as an accomplished leader, Connell was recruited to become Executive Chef of The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach, prior to the hotel opening in October 2003.

Under Chef Connell’s guidance, the culinary offerings served at The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach, blend the present with the past to create a new approach to enjoying the varied cuisines and a general culinary journey. According to Connell, “Good cooking is a mix of Passion and Dedication.”

Connell draws upon such wide-ranging concepts as European tradition, Spanish classic and modern cuisine, and Arabian and Indian flavors. Chef Connell’s artistry – as well as his first-rate aesthetic and presentational sense –is the perfect match for the DiLido Beach Club, the only oceanfront restaurant in South Beach. The cuisine at the DiLido Beach Club combines Southern Mediterranean rim and North African coastal cuisine known as “Sun Cuisine,” a term and cuisine created by Chef Connell. The food is designed to give a wave of flavor and spice as well as to refresh with every bite which creates a cuisine of heritage set in the SoBe environment.

Born and raised in Bogota, Colombia Bernardo Espinel is far from home. Fortunately as the Chef de Cuisine of Bistro One LR, he’s still close to two of his biggest passions; cooking and culture.

Bernardo’s interest in becoming a chef began while earning his bachelor's degree in Food Science at Universidad Tadeo Lozan He worked at several local restaurants that ignited a deeper interest in the field of culinary which ultimately led to him enrolling in Johnson and Wales University in Miami.

Following graduation, Bernardo accepted a position working at the Sheraton Bal Harbour, where he learned the fundamentals of cooking, providing the perfect transition into his professional career. Exhibiting leadership skills and a natural talent for cooking, Bernardo was promoted to Executive Sous Chef.

It wasn’t long before Bernardo accepted a position as the Executive Chef at The Beach House in Bal Harbour, a small boutique hotel in Surfside, FL. Bernardo then further increased his experience and responsibilities when he was recruited to work as the Executive Chef, opening Kura Hulanda Hotel, on the island of Curacao, NA, where he oversaw four restaurants. One in particular was an upscale Indian restaurant where Bernardo learned firsthand how to combine spices to fully maximize flavors. It is this same understanding of flavors that influences his cooking style today.

Bernardo’s last stop on his culinary journey before joining The Ritz-Carlton, South beach was spent in New York City, where he worked at several restaurants including Trust and Alias, featuring modern American cuisine using seasonal ingredients. Bernardo then moved back to Miami and became the Chef de Cuisine of The DiLido Beach Club, the only oceanfront restaurant on South Beach featuring ‘Sun Cuisine’ inspired by the exciting flavors of North Africa, Spain, the Eastern Mediterranean, and the Middle East. The menu emphasizes the use of spice blends, dressings, relishes, pickles and preserves that best define this type of cuisine, which has allowed Bernardo's passion and creativity with flavors to shine. Due to the overwhelming success of the restaurant, Bernardo was rewarded the role of Chef de Cuisine of Bistro One LR, a modern American Bistro with a hint of the Latin American and French influences.