FAVORITE SIMPLE FALL DESSERT RECIPE: Apple crisp with vanilla gelato 

Carlos has worked at some of the nation’s most pre-eminent hotels, resorts and restaurants, including the Brown Palace Hotel (Denver, CO.), Alex Restaurant (Las Vegas, NV) and the Ahwahnee Resort (Yosemite National Park, CA). A native of Los Angeles, Carlos grew up in a small family-run bakery. In 1996, he moved to Las Vegas and was part of the opening team of the Paris Hotel. There, he met artisan bread chef Stephan Mourabit, who became an early mentor and friend. In 2010, Carlos was approached by Block 16 in Las Vegas to oversee and open Holsteins Restaurant at The Cosmopolitan Resort, along with creating the dessert programs for LBS Burger Joint and Barrymore Restaurant. Since then, his desserts have been featured in Esquire, Las Vegas Weekly, 944 Magazine,and Taste of the Nation. A father of six, Carlos loves to add a playful modern twist to childhood desserts. “Food to me is a simple playground,” Carlos says. “How you approach it will determine how much fun you will have in it.”