Staff Profiles
Experienced Professionals at Ristorante Tuscany
Celso Pinto: Executive Chef
No stranger to the Marriott Family, The San Juan Marriott’s new Executive Chef – Celso Pinto, began his career at the Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino thirteen years ago.
Since that time, Celso has been instrumental in his contribution to several prominent Marriott properties – namely the Panama Marriott, the Santiago Marriott hotel in Chile, The Costa do Sauipe Marriott and the Renaissance Costa Do Sauipe Resort, both in Bahia, Brasil.
With a culinary style of Latin American fusion influenced by Asian and European tastes, Celso Pinto brings to his position as Executive Chef of the San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino, many years of experience that prove to enhance and enliven the food & beverage offerings that the property has to offer.
Cesare Biancalana: Restaurant Manager
Cesare Biancalana became educated in the culinary arts thanks to his father and uncle. He started working when he was fourteen by experimenting with the preparation of bread, pizza and focaccia. Meanwhile, he graduated as an aeronautical technician.
He continued in the culinary arts when he met two great masters of Tuscan gastronomy, Giuliano Taccetti Begretario and Franceso Corpora, and with them gained access to the world of Italian cooking in an elevated category.
Chef Biancalana has won many culinary awards in his native Tuscany. He has cooked for the president of Italy, Sandro Pertini, as well as for Italian movie stars, such as the well known Roberto Benigni.
In the United States, his restaurants were awarded the Best in Tampa and among the top 20 in Florida. In 2002, he joined Ristorante Tuscany at the San Juan Marriott.
In 2005, Cesare left San Juan and joined the JW Marriott in Mexico City. Today he finds himself back in Puerto Rico on the other side of the kitchen as Restaurant Manager of Ristorante Tuscany and thoroughly enjoying this new perspective.