Meet Our Chefs
Jonathan Gelman, Executive Chef, The Driskill Hotel
For more than 20 years, Chef Jonathan Gelman has cooked at some of the country's most luxurious hotels, resorts and wineries. As executive chef for The Driskill Hotel, he oversees and directs all of the hotel's culinary programs, including The Driskill Grill, 1886 Café & Bakery and catering and banquets. Prior to joining The Driskill, he most recently served as executive chef for L'Auberge de Sedona, a luxury resort and spa in Sedona, AZ.
After graduating magna cum laude from the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, Chef Gelman clinched his first five-star experience, first as pastry sous chef at the Ritz Carlton Laguna-Niguel in Dana Point, CA and, later, when he transferred into The Dining Room Restaurant as sous chef under Three-Star Michelin Chef Boris Keller. From Chef Keller, Gelman continued to hone his skills in a wide variety of cuisines, infusing them all into a hand-crafted, multi-faceted global-American fusion that is certain to inspire.
Early in his became career, Chef Gelman apprenticed with the US Culinary Olympic Team and was a member of the American Culinary Federation's 1996 Team California, winning an impressive collection of gold and silver medals in the culinary competitions.
His credentials also includes executive chef for Monarch Bay Resorts, where the Pacific Rim menu focuses on seafood; executive chef at Cuivaison Winery in Napa Valley; executive chef of catering and banquets for Michael's at The Cidadel in Scottsdale, AZ; executive sous chef at the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa, another AAA Four-Diamond property. In addition, Chef Gelman owned and served as executive chef for Napa Gardens Catering in Napa Valley.
Chef Tony Sansalone, Executive Pastry Chef
Born in Italy, trained in Florida and Texan by choice, Chef Tony Sansalone takes The Driskill's longtime tradition of producing exquisite pastries and desserts to new culinary summits. Named "Austin's Premier Pastry Chef" by the Austin American-Statesman, Chef Sansalone brings his award-winning credentials and talents to the hotel's nationally-recognized 1886 Café & Bakery.
Baking his first cookies in the family kitchen in Italy, he received formal training at the American Culinary Federation in Palm Beach, FL. Chef Sansalone then spent the next five years working at several of the most prestigious resorts in South Florida before launching his career with Four Seasons Resorts. That move eventually led him to Austin, where he quickly attracted a devoted following as pastry chef for the Four Seasons Austin Hotel. The accommodating and talented chef is a fixture in the community, having participated in countless culinary and fundraising events. He has also been featured on the Food Network's "Top 5 Summer Sensations" program.
In 2005 Chef Sansalone and his wife, Ashley, opened their own bakery-Sansalone's Specialty Cakes & Fine Pastry-where he continued to produce the amazingly high-quality desserts for which he had become famous.
Chef Sansalone joined The Driskill's culinary team in late 2007, just in time for the hotel's busy holiday season and to bake hundreds of cakes, pies and cookies in addition to his custom wedding cakes that qualify as works of art. The distinctive dessert traditions of the Driskill combined with Chef Sansalone's innovative artistry make for a legendary duo.
CHEF DE CUISINE JASON SEIDEL
As a young boy, Jason Seidel shared a love of watching television with his father. Not cartoons or action adventure programs that normally fascinate little boys. They watched cooking shows.
"I loved to spend time in the kitchen with my father. He was a diabetic and became very adept at adapting recipes for his diet," says Seidel.
That childhood passion of preparing food and transforming simple, individual ingredients into complex and delicious culinary creations carries over into the kitchen of the 1886 Café & Bakery, where he resides as chef de cuisine.
Born in Minneapolis, but proudly proclaiming to have "celebrated my first birthday in Texas," he eventually settled in Sedona, AZ. There he spent three years at L'Auberge de Sedona as sous chef to Chef Jonathan Gelman and eventually made the move to The Driskill with Gelman.
At L'Auberge, Chef Seidel developed his skills and love for fine eclectic cuisine. While the menus of the 1886 Café & Bakery reflect a more casual American flair, Chef Seidel infuses many techniques into the preparations, allowing him to "bring the café back into the café."
