Gerald Sombright

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Chef Gerald fell in love with the process of cooking at a young age. Gerald worked his way up from dishwasher to Chef de Cuisine at the Westin St. Louis Cupples station. He would go on to work for Lou Rook at the Iconic St. Louis restaurant, Annie Gunn’s and, the same year, the chef was nominated for the James Beard Award. Gerald worked at Cielo located in the Four Seasons hotel under Chef Fabrzio Schneardi, learning the “Italian hand” and traditions of that cuisine. Gerald’s path then took him to Baltimore to work under Chef Michal Mina at the award winning Wit and Wisdom.There he worked under Chef Clayton Miller giving form to an upscale mid Atlantic tavern. Gerald was tapped to open PBG at the Four Seasons Orlando where he was able to hone his skills with live fire and a rotisserie. Gerald made his way to Marco Island to take the helm of Ario. He built the restaurant's dry ages program and offers diners a global nomadic lens through food. Gerald was chosen to be a contestant on Top Chef Season 14 filmed in Charleston. Gerald also hosted his own dinner at the eponymous James Beard house in July 2017. In the last quarter of 2018, Gerald opened the ornate Tesoro, giving way to an ”elevated” experience both figuratively and literally. The restaurant overlooks the Gulf of Mexico from 5 stories high and serves Modern Mediterranean cuisine. Gerald also runs 10k Alley, a gastro pub housed in a ten thousand square feet of gaming and entertainment space. Gerald is currently the opening Chef at Knife and Spoon at the Ritz Carlton Orlando Grande Lakes. Knife and Spoon was voted best new restaurant in Orlando Weekly and also number two best new restaurant by USA Today. Gerald was tapped in 2021 to compete in the inaugural season of The Globe on the Food Network. He is a frequent featured talent at some of the country’s most sought out culinary festivals including Aspen, Atlanta, Charleston and Pebble Beach. Gerald was also featured at the James Beard House once again in 2019 with fellow Top Chef alums for Silvia Barban’s inaugural dinner. Chef Gerald is a level two certified WSET Sommelier.