Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Jose Mendin (35), Founding Partner/Culinary Director for The Pubbelly Group and Executive Chef for Pubbelly, Pubbelly Sushi, PB Steak, Taco Belly, and the upcoming L’echon Brasserie, began his love affair with food on the vibrant Caribbean island he calls home. Being born amidst a heavy food culture to foodie parents and great-grandmother who was a cooking instructor may have paved his way, but it wasn’t until Mendin went off to college that he picked up a pan and realized he had a talent and adoration for cooking.

Practically born into the restaurant business, Ieto’s father, Chef Tokiji Ieto, brought him on as an apprentice at the famed Hamada of Japan in Las Vegas at the ripe age of 15. There young Ieto developed his love for the kitchen and his skill as a sushi master. At the age of 19, Ieto was hired to open Okada at the AAA five diamond, Mobil five-star, Forbes five-star, and Michelin five star Wynn Las Vegas resort under Master Chef Yagehashi Takahashi, working all stations in the restaurant, from the sushi bars to the Japanese robata grills.