HOSPITALITY PROVOCATEURS

Like most college kids, I had no idea what I wanted to do when I started school. I grew up in Dallas, Texas and worked my way through the University of North Texas waiting tables and bartending. I enjoyed the work, but it was a means to an end and at the time, I really didn’t think of it as a life’s ambition. I finished with an Economics degree and enough knowledge to know that I didn’t want to be an Economist.

My real education began the week after I graduated from college. I sold my car and bought a one-way ticket to Paris and traveled through Europe and Asia for over a year. In every way, this time in my life brought me an awareness and appreciation for other cultures that I don’t think I could have ever absorbed had I stayed in my hometown.

When I came back to the States, I enrolled in the NYC theatre school Circle in the Square. I spent the next five years in New York as a quintessential struggling actor; which meant I was also a waiter and bartender.

I moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting, but I landed a job as a Food and Beverage Manager at the Standard Hotel in Hollywood. It soon led to me taking a position as the Food & Beverage Director at The Standard's sister property––the iconic Chateau Marmont Hotel. After several years of providing hospitality and cuisine in a way that caters to the specific tastes of the most discriminating clientele in Los Angeles, I felt confident in starting a brand of my own. A catering company at the highest level, paring exceptional cuisine with luxury hotel-caliber service. Tres L.A. was created in 2003.

With the Tres L.A Group, my driving principle has been to leverage my past experience and deliver the same level of service, detail and visual appeal for our clients and their guests that I learned while working in the boutique hotel and restaurant industry. At the same time, foster a positive and spirited work culture for employees to grow and feel as if they are part of something more meaningful than just a stepping-stone in their journey.

In 2011, I purchased what is now known as The Carondelet House and in 2015, I purchased The Ebell of Long Beach. In 2020 we opened our doors at The Mason, Dallas.  I approached the remodeling and design of each venue as a blank canvas where I could fully curate every aspect of my work experience, my education, and my travels. I’d like to think the venues have become a pure expression of my vision as a host–– elegant, timeless and above all else, inviting.