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Longtime Valley residents and food lovers will likely know the name Alex Stratta.
But for those who aren't familiar, he's kind of a big deal. The Top Chef (he's appeared on both Iron Chef America and Top Chef Masters) won the James Beard Award for Best Chef Southwest in 1998 while working at Mary Elaine's at The Phoenician, then went on to work in Las Vegas, where he earned two Michelin stars with his namesake Alex restaurant at The Wynn hotel.
Most recently, Stratta's been behind Salt & Pepper, a "Southern comfort bar and grill" at Tivoli Village, located about a half hour from the Las Vegas strip. That restaurant closed abruptly earlier this week — and now know we know where the chef's headed next: Stratta will return to the Valley, where he first rose to fame, specifically to Prado at the Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia.
According to the Arizona Republic, the chef's start date has yet to be finalized, but Stratta will work with the resort's executive chef and the chef de cuisine at Prado.
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