Jolene Mannina
Fortune Events | Las Vegas, NV
April 2026
Jolene Mannina's hospitality career began in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1997 at Commander's Palace, before she relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada to help open the brand's expansion there. She went on to open N9NE Steakhouse at the Palms Casino before launching her first independent venture, Sloppi Jo's Roving Eatery, a food truck specializing in dishes featuring New Mexican hatch green chiles, harvested just once a year. Mannina then founded Back of the House Brawl, an underground late-night chef competition that evolved into the TV series "Late Nite Chef Fight." During this period, she also joined the Life is Beautiful Festival as Head of Culinary Arts, curating the event's entire food and beverage program. From 2014 to 2018, Mannina owned Relish, a company specializing in food and beverage curation for events, before transitioning to serve as Vice President of Culinary Partnerships and Chairman of the Culinary Advisory Board at Urban Seed. In 2019, she launched SecretBurger.com, an online marketplace for off-menu dishes and unique culinary experiences, serving as its president.
During the pandemic, Mannina founded Vegas Test Kitchen, a multi-concept restaurant that provided local pop-ups—including Yukon Pizza, Popnpies, and Stay Tuned Burgers—a storefront and a platform to keep the community connected. After Vegas Test Kitchen closed in 2023, she served as Head of F&B Creative Concepts for the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix. Today, Mannina serves as Vice President of Fortune Events, an event production and catering company. She is also a founding member of the Women's Hospitality Initiative, dedicated to uniting women across Las Vegas's hospitality industry.
