People

Dean Max - Consultant Chef

Dean James Max comes from a dynasty of foodies. His grandfather, for many years a chef at an upstate NY resort, opened a much-loved bed-and-breakfast in Cape May. Dean's father, himself a New Jersey farmer's son, started his own farm on Virginia's Eastern Shore.

Dean says he has fond memories of the bounty, both earthbound and marine, of Chesapeake Bay: “Growing up in this environment gave me an early insight about freshness and how foods work together.”

Moving with his family to Stuart, Florida, where his father became a produce broker for the major supermarkets, Dean became a student at Florida State University where he earned a BSc in Marketing, with a Hotel and Restaurant Management minor.

After college, Dean enrolled in The Florence Study Centre, Italy, and spent a season there, ‘making his bones’ in the cooking trade. “It was in Italy that I confirmed my love for food, and for natural cooking”.

With his newly acquired skills, recipes and commitment to cooking, Dean returned to the United States. There his classical training, coupled with his precise cooking technique, underpinned his passion for creative cooking as well as his keen understanding of the importance of fresh ingredients.

His cooking career soon took off, working first at Brasserie Savoy, in San Francisco's boutique Savoy Hotel followed by positions at the Ritz Carlton Dining Room in Pentagon City, Washington, DC; Gerard's Place, downtown Washington, DC; and the Ritz Carlton, Atlanta, GA.

By now a seasoned professional, Dean became executive chef and co-owner of the much-loved Atlanta restaurant, Mumbo Jumbo. From there he was coaxed back to the West Coast being named executive chef of the wildly popular Woodside, in Brentwood, Southern California.

Success brought an offer from the giant Marriott hotel group to create his own restaurant at one of its most prestigious properties, the Harbour Beach Resort & Spa in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

3030 Ocean, a unique dining concept, is today one of South Florida's most celebrated restaurants and one that Dean delivers “an experience that treats the taste through all senses”.

With many appearance on the Food Network, authorship of the book ‘Life By the Sea’, Dean has won wide recognition, including:

Best Chef in South Florida, 2005, Boca Raton MagazineBest Chef South Florida, 2006, National Restaurant AssociationJames Beard Recognized Chef

Joe Mizzoni - Executive Chef

From the very first years of his culinary career, Chef Joe Mizzoni has known nothing less than excellence. Even before graduating from culinary school, Chef Joe worked in some of the most highly acclaimed restaurants in the United States, including L’Orangrie and Patina in Los Angeles, California. During his stay in Hyde Park, New York he spent much of his time in the top kitchens of Manhattan continuing his culinary training.   

After graduating from The Culinary Institute of America, Chef Joe was given the opportunity to further refine his technique at the Greenbrier Resort, with some of the best chefs in the United States, before leaving to take up the challenge of being a part of the opening management team of Alfred Portale’s Gotham Steak at Miami’s prestigious Fountainebleau Hotel.

It was Chef Joe’s passion for taking the classic techniques & fundamentals of the culinary arts & marrying them with only the best local & sustainable produce which earned him a spot on the management team for Dean Max’s DJM Inc. It was to be an excellent career move for Chef Joe. Working with Chef Dean & embracing his ‘farm to table’ approach to cooking, Chef Joe flourished as Executive Sous Chef at Max’s flagship 3030 Ocean restaurant in South Florida. Constantly striving to source new local & seasonal ingredients & incorporate them into his menu, while creating a unique balance of flavours, Chef Joe’s passion & creativity helped to keep 3030 Ocean a destination restaurant for foodies from across the US.

When a position became available at the Brasserie, Chef Joe jumped at the chance to head up their culinary team. Having already visited the Brasserie, Chef Joe was extremely excited about the direction of the restaurant. He is enthusiastic to explore the unique flavours of the Cayman Islands & relishes the opportunity to develop relationships with our local suppliers along with the passionate “foodie” community here in the Cayman Islands.

Chef Dean Max is South Florida's foremost seafood expert so Chef Joe will no doubt put the lessons learned at 3030 Ocean to good use with The Brasserie's abundant fresh catch from our fishing boats the Brasserie Catch I & II.

Corey Blohm - Manager

Corey's passion for the hospitality & service industries began at a very young age, assisting his parents at their local grocery store in White Plains New York.  After studying Business Administration at Rockland College in New York, he moved to Florida to take up a position at the Harbor Beach Resort & Spa. It was there that Corey's talent & dedication came to the attention of Chef Dean Max, who invited Corey to join his team as assistant manager of his award winning 3030 Ocean Restaurant. Chef Dean recalls that the decision to recruit Corey was an easy one: “Corey’s attention to detail & great customer relations are exactly the skills I look for when recruiting future managers”.  

Corey soon proved himself, & when Dean opened his third restaurant, AMP 150 in Ohio, Corey was the natural choice for the role of General Manager.  On being the leader of Chef Max's opening team Corey says "Shaping the restaurant's service standards, beverage menus, & promotional activities gave me an intimate understanding of the necessary ingredients for a successful restaurant. Opening AMP 150 was a fantastic learning experience". 

Throughout his career, Corey has worked closely with Dean to inspire his teams to share their enthusiasm for the industry & their commitment to exceptional service, & while this ethos has won them many accolades, Corey says that the most rewarding part of his job is "...getting people excited about food & wine, & introducing like-minded customers to new culinary experiences & bar creations”.

Corey is excited to be heading up the Brasserie team. "Working with the Dean Max organization has given me many great opportunities, from developing craft bars & boutique wine lists, to participating in the Epcot & South Beach Food & Wine festivals & attending James Beard Foundation dinners. The Brasserie's focus on sea to table cooking, insistence on local ingredients, & creative approach to combining Caymanian food traditions with the very best of modern cuisine makes me confident that my experience here will be no exception. I am looking forward to meeting our customers & working with them to ensure that the Brasserie remains an integral part of the local community. Please stop by & say hello".

Christine Ward - Pastry Chef

Brasserie Pastry Chef Christine Ward grew up in a small rural town a few minutes from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It was a very close knit farming community - her grandfather owned and worked a dairy farm and her aunt and uncle tended an orchard and large lush garden planted with apple, peach and plum trees, blueberry bushes and strawberry and red raspberry patches. 

It was her early immersion in this agricultural milieu that gave rise to Christine’s profound appreciation for the provenance of the food that we eat and inspired her to pursue a career in the culinary arts.

After graduating from culinary school in June 2002, Christine was fortunate to earn a position at the Ritz Carlton on Amelia Island, Florida, working at their AAA five diamond restaurant, the Grill  (recently renamed Salt).

Under the excellent tutelage of pastry chef Mandy Kan (current owner and pastry chef of the highly regarded “Dessert Lady” pastry shop in Toronto), Christine honed her skills, producing and plating a range of desserts, including soufflés, for the restaurant’s dinner service.

Chef Christine went on to hold pastry positions at a number of distinguished establishments throughout the US, including Fossetts of Keswick Hall (under Chef Erin Souder Maupin) and The Clifton Inn Relais & Châteaux (under Executive Chef Dean Maupin) in Charlottesville Virginia.

Christine also held a position in the pastry department of the Watermark Hotel in San Antonio Texas, which serviced both the Watermark Hotel on the River Walk, along with their other River Walk property, the luxurious Omni la Mansion hotel.

One of the things Chef Christine enjoys most about cooking here in the Cayman Islands is the opportunity to discover a host of unique local produce. “I like the fact I’m trying new tropical fruits and embracing items I don’t get back home,” she said. Mango season in particular is one of her favourite times of year and she is looking forward to devising new ways to incorporate the island's favourite fruit into our dessert menu again this year. We're looking forward to it too!

Winston "Big Boy" - Gardener

Winston is the dedicated head gardener and produce farmer for The Brasserie and manages the landscaping for Cricket Square's extensive grounds.

Born in the cool, fertile hills of Mandeville, Jamaica, to a farming family, Winston attributes his love and knowledge of agriculture to his grandfather with whom he worked for many years.

This is reflected in his wide knowledge of growing crops, pest control, propagation and soil improvement.

Winston arrived as a temporary worker in Grand Cayman in 1990 to join the team of celebrated local landscape designer Margaret Barwick Winston's superior skills and work ethic were recognised immediately and he won a permanent position. Through the 1990s Winston worked as head gardener for Margaret Barwick, including a year at The Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park which was then being developed.

After several years as the grounds manager for Grand Pavilion on Seven Mile Beach, Winston joined the Flowers Group and set to work on the park at Cricket Square, and, more recently, The Brasserie's own Market Garden.

Over the years Winston has earned a reputation as a true master gardener and is rightly respected by everyone he works with.

Dorson Wright - Capt. Brasserie Catch I

Operating off Grand Cayman, Brasserie Catch I is a 25' Grady White Dolphin powered by 2 x 150 Suzuki outboards, Captained by Dorson Wright.  Dorson was born in Cayman Brac and is a second-generation deep-water fisherman.  He spent many days as a boy fishing with his father where they perfected the technique of catching several species of deep water snappers at one time at great depth of up to 1200 ft. deep.  Dorson uses this technique today to keep The Brasserie and Market regularly supplied with the freshest deep-water snapper, a customer favorite.  

Atlee Evans - Capt. Brasserie Catch II

Operating off the lessor islands of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, Brasserie Catch II is a 26' Shamrock powered by an inboard diesel engine, captained by Atlee Evans.  Atlee was born in Grand Cayman and was the first Caymanian to become a certified dive master.  Atlee ran his own water sports operation for many years until moving to Cayman Brac where he now fishes daily for The Brasserie and Market.  A daily catch can include wahoo, mahi mahi, satin snappers, day groupers (not the protected Nassau grouper) and yellow fin tuna.