Sean Griffin
NEROS | Las Vegas

Biography
Growing up in a restaurant family in California, Sean learned every aspect of running a fine dining restaurant. His father owned three restaurants and was a consummate perfectionist who drove Sean to settle for nothing short of the best. His father passed away when Sean was 21 and, along with his mother and brother, Sean was left with the daunting task of running a restaurant and nightclub. The hours were long, and the stress level was high. When their lease expired, they decided to walk away from the business.

After a series of unfulfilling chef positions at several local establishments, Sean was determined to begin anew at finer restaurants. Taking a cook position at the Mission Inn Hotel in Riverside, California, he worked his way through every station on the hot line and came in on days off to learn the cold line. Chef Gary Palm recognized his drive, and a year after working there, Sean was promoted to Chef of Duanes, a AAA 4 diamond restaurant.

Sean advanced his career to the next level at the Four Seasons Hotel Beverly Hills, once again taking a step back to better educate himself. He was hired as a lead line cook in Gardens, the fine dining room, and after 10 months was promoted to dining room chef. Sean worked under Chef Conny Andersson, who gave him complete control of the menu. Frequent trips to the farmers’ market sparked Sean’s creativity, and he changed the menu daily according to the market’s bounty.

While at the Four Seasons, Sean had the opportunity to stage with several renowned chefs including Thomas Keller, Rick Tromonto and Charlie Trotter, as well as Sarah Stegner (The Dining Room), Phillipe Legendre (George V), Alain Giraurd (Bastide), and the chefs of the Four Seasons New York, Chicago, Santa Barbara, Newport, and San Diego.
Sean joined Neros at Caesars Palace in 2003, taking a classic steakhouse and turning it into a fine dining experience under the guise of a steakhouse. His approach is creative without being intimidating. And his cooking always reflects the integrity of his product - freshness and peak-of-season are key.

In his spare hours, Sean is involved in IMNO, an online mentoring organization, as well as the UNLV mentoring program. “I know when I was first starting out, I always wanted to have someone to consult with who knew the business. I’m that person now to cooks who want to pursue a culinary career.”