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About Dirona

Chairman
John C. Metz Jr.

John Metz, is president CEO of Greazy Spoon Development Co., whose restaurants include restaurants include Hi Life Kitchen & Cocktails, and Aqua Blue. Metz brings extensive leadership experience to the table, having served on numerous culinary boards during his 27-year career in the restaurant and hospitality industry. John’s love affair with the kitchen originated in his father’s restaurant business, where he started as a dishwasher before moving on to prep cook and eventually running the kitchen. John attended the Culinary Institute of America and began his career in New York City, working at well-known restaurants as the ‘21’ Club, Tropica, Tribeca Grill and Montrachet. Later, John served as director of research and development for Italianni’s and Front Row Sports Grill at Carlson Restaurant Worldwide.

First Vice Chairman
Tim Creehan

Tim Creehan and Beach Walk Crystal Beach have earned numerous awards and accolades including; Florida Trend’s Golden Spoon - Top 25 Restaurants in Florida, Award of Excellence from DiRoNA and Wine Spectator as well as Best Chef on the Emerald Coast the past five years. In January 2007, Creehan partnered with his appliance sponsor, DCS by Fisher & Paykel, to open Destin’s new Culinary Center. Beach Walk Redfish Village, Tim’s second restaurant is scheduled to open spring 2007. Creehan’s culinary style and marketing savvy has extended extended into his own patented line of non stick marinades, Chef’s Grill Plus, and two cookbooks, Simple Cuisine of Chef Tim Creehan and Flavors of the Gulf Coast. Creehan has recently been associated with product development for Frito Lay North America, Pizza Inn and Golden Corral.

Second Vice Chairman/Treasurer
Peter D’Andrea

Peter D’Andrea is the chef-founder of Culinary Insight, a consulting firm with such clients as the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute.  Previously D’Andrea was the Executive Chef at Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, the largest non-gaming hotel facility in the world. With more than 20 years experience in the culinary field, Chef D’Andrea has a wealth of creativity and expertise and is well known in the industry for delivering high quality dining experiences for the past 25 years. No stranger to large-scale resorts, Chef D’Andrea served three years as Corporate Executive Chef for Marriott International, Inc.  Other notable resume highlights include three years as Executive Chef with the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, California; as Corporate Executive Chef at the Oak Tree Hotels; as Executive Sous Chef throughout the opening of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Laguna Niguel, California; and his role as Sous Chef at the Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts. D’Andrea’s distinct creativity and knowledge have garnered accolades from the internationally renowned James Beard Foundation to publications such as Food Arts Magazine, which named him “Cutting Edge Chef.”

Board of Directors

Paul Athanas
Anthony's Pier 4
Boston, MA

Paul W. Bartolotta
The Bartolotta Restaurants and Bartolotta, Ristorante di Mare at Wynn Las Vegas
Milwaukee, WI

Milan Bodiroga
Dubrovnik Restaurant
Winnipeg, Ontario, Canada

Brad Brennan
Commander's Palace
Las Vegas, NV

Gerard Centioli 
ICON, LLC 
Chicago, IL

Shelly Cooper
30 Degree Blue
Panama City, FL

Tim Creehan
Beach Walk
Destin, FL

Priscilla Cretier 
Le Vichyssois 
Lakemoor, IL

Joseph DiSalvo
DiSalvo's Station Restaurant
Latrobe, PA

Jordi Escofet 
La Cava 
Mexico
Vincenzo Gabriele
Vincenzo's
Louisville, KY
Norbert Goldner 
Café L'Europe 
Palm Beach, FL
William L. Hyde
Ruth's Chris Steak House
Metairie, LA

Kurt Knowles 
The Manor 
West Orange, NJ

Wade Knowles 
The Manor 
West Orange, NJ

Dee Lincoln
Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House
Dallas, TX

Eric Luksenberg
Restaurant La Maree
Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Gary Manago
Honolulu, HI

Joe Mannke 
Bistro Le Cep
Houston, TX

Tony May 
San Domenico 
New York, NY

Chick Marshall
Mr Stox Restaurant
Anaheim, CA

Leonard Mirabile 
Jasper's 
Kansas City, MO

Mark Monette
Flagstaff House Restaurant
Boulder, CO

Francisco Morales
Pancho's Backyard
Cozumel, Mexico

Michael O'Keeffe
The River Café
Brooklyn, NY

Raphael Oliver
Top of the Hub
Boston, MA

Karen Olson
Metropolitan
Salt Lake City, UT

Thomas J. Parsell
Magnolias
Charleston, SC

Craig Peterson
RingSide Steakhouse
Portland, OR

Rick Powers
Beverly's
Coeur d'Alene, ID

Margo Provost
Log Haven Restaurant
Salt Lake City, UT
Richard R. Schneider
Scheherazade (Trump Taj Mahal)
Atlantic City, NJ

Kevin D. Schwartz
Horizons at Grove Park Inn
Ashville, NC

Bob Spivak 
The Grill 
Los Angeles, CA

David Stockman
Lawry's Restaurants, Inc. 
Pasadena, CA

Larry Work
Sam & Harry's Management Co.
Washington, DC
Alon Yu  
Tommy Toy's Cuisine Chinoise 
San Francisco, CA

 

Directors Emeritus

John J. Arena
Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada

Ted Balestreri
The Sardine Factory
Monterey, CA
 

Reinhard Barthel, Sr. 
La Grange, IL

Vincent Bommarito 
Tony's 
St. Louis, MO

Ella Brennan
Commander's Palace
New Orleans, LA
Vincent J. Catania 
Dan'l Webster Inn 
Hyannis, MA
Bert Cutino
The Sardine Factory
Monterey, CA
Ralph Evans 
London, England 
McLean, VA
John Folse
Lafitte's Landing
Donaldsonville, LA
Giovanni Dominic Galati
Dominic's
St. Louis, MO
Victor Gotti
Ernie's
San Francisco, CA

Tom Margittai
The Four Seasons
Sante Fe, NM

Richard Marriott
Host Marriott Corporation
Bethesda, MD

Gunter Preuss
Broussard's
New Orleans, LA

Christianne Ricchi
i Ricchi
Washington, DC
Andre Rochat
Andre's and Alize
Las Vegas, NV
Ernest Zingg 
The Cellar 
Fullerton, CA
 

 

 

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