Stefan Richter

Stefan was born in Finland, but spent the majority of his childhood in Germany where he began culinary training in his early teens. He worked his way through various European and Asian kitchens. In 1998, he joined master chefs Grant McPherson, Sotta Kuhn, Jacques Torres, Jean Philip Maury and Marc Poidevin as part of the creative team for the opening of the Bellagio Hotel, Resort & Spa in Las Vegas as Executive Sous Chef. Since then, Stefan has retired in Santa Monica. Stefan has also opened the restaurant group Stefan's Restaurants in Santa Monica, 5 Steakhouses in his native Finland. Stefan is spending most of his summers traveling and growing organic vegetables, raising chickens on his farm and between each of his European restaurants, maintaining a hands-on approach in the kitchen. During winter month he is traveling for the Finnisch restaurant group SR Max and Restamax to open new concepts like Stefan's Burgers and Beer and multiple others.