STEVEN ZABEL
Born in Chicago, Chef Steven Zabel was raised in a large European family that loved French peasant cooking and European pastries. When he was a child, he developed a passion for cooking from scratch by watching, helping, and learning alongside his father who was a Chef and his grandmother. Lured into the culinary world after college, following his fathers’ footsteps he went on to study at the Scottsdale Culinary Institute, a Le Cordon Bleu program, graduating valedictorian, where he learned to develop his own unique style and flair. He continued with his career at exclusive restaurants and hotels and studied under Eddie Matney, and Emeril Lagasse.
Building upon his training and honing his craft he left Arizona and travelled all over California, Europe and Mexico learning every cuisine he could.
Over the years, Chef Steven worked under influential leaders of the American culinary profession who helped shape his style and depth of knowledge. Chef Steven has worked for many famous restaurants and hotels including the Four Seasons, Ivanhoe Country Club, Chicago Yacht Club, Burnham Park Yacht Club, Portofino’s and Bonvoy properties. Chef Steven’s culinary philosophy and passion reflects the growing trend towards a healthier and down-to-earth lifestyle. Chef Steven’s preference is to allow the natural flavors of food to express themselves.
In addition to cooking, Chef Steven’s passion is to develop aspiring cooks to discover their own talents in the same way that he was encouraged. Be it through foraging in the forest or growing fresh ingredients in his own garden