Behind the Scenes

 

 

Jamie Mammano

Chef / Owner, Mistral and The Columbus Hospitality Group
From the day that Chef Jamie Mammano opened the doors to Mistral in 1997, his biggest culinary venture yet was destined to become a legend of the Boston dining scene. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in New York, Jamie established a reputation for himself amongst the country's most highly-regarded chefs during stints at The Jockey Club and Le Pavillion Restaurant in Washington DC, as the chef for the United States Ambassador to Spain, and 10 years spent in the kitchens of the Four Seasons Hotel Company, where he honed his culinary skills at the company's Washington DC, Seattle, Chicago and Boston properties. While serving as Executive Chef for the Four Seasons Hotel Boston, Jamie single-handedly catapulted its dining room, Aujourd'hui, to the #1 ranking in the Zagat Survey of Boston Restaurants in 1995, and soon after readers of Boston Magazine chose Aujourd'hui as the #1 restaurant in Boston and Conde Nast Traveler named it the #4 restaurant in the country.
Seeking the next big challenge, Jamie left the Four Seasons, and along with partners Paul Roiff and Seth Greenberg, created the concept for Mistral, a French/Mediterranean bistro in Boston's South End. Through crafting the menu, hiring the staff, handpicking the tableware, choosing the decor and designing the kitchen, Jamie was able to give life to the restaurant he had always dreamed of and that Boston diners could not wait to frequent. Throughout the past 10 years, Jamie and Mistral have consistently delivered excellent food, exceptional service, and garnered numerous accolades including Top 25 New Restaurants in America by Esquire Magazine, "Sexiest Bar" by Food & Wine, and four Best of Boston awards from Boston Magazine. Jamie has appeared on NBC's Today Show as well as CNN's "On the Menu". In June 1999, Nation's Restaurant News named Mistral as one of "5 Hottest Restaurants in Boston and in July of the same year, Jamie was invited to be a guest chef at the famed James Beard House.
Chef Mammano embarked on his second restaurant venture with Mistral partner Paul Roiff in January 2003 with the opening of Teatro, a stylish yet casual Italian-influenced bistro. With Teatro, Jamie and Executive Chef/Partner Robert Jean have created a comfortable dining spot in Boston's trendy Ladder District, where locals are able to enjoy inspired Italian food and drinks, an open kitchen and playful design. Jamie and Paul followed up their success when Paul made Jamie a partner in The Federalist, now Mooo.... a modern steakhouse inside the XV Beacon Hotel in November 2005. Then, the pair opened Sorellina, in January 2006. Offering Executive Chef/Partner Robert Jean's regional Italian-Mediterranean cuisine with a modern twist, a unique wine list focusing on hidden Italian gems, upbeat and sophisticated service, and a warm-modern design intertwined with the glow of a back wall mural and floor-to-ceiling windows, Sorellina is truly a feast for the senses. The newest endeavor, is the opening of L'Andana in Burlington, MA, featuring Tuscan fare. Here, The Columbus Hospitality Group hopes their winning touches will continue to escalate this fine dining location into one of the city's most popular dinner destinations.

 

Seth Greenberg

Co-owner
With over twenty years of experience acquiring and developing high-end hotel, restaurant and nightlife properties in New York, Boston and Miami, Seth Greenberg is regarded as one of the premiere impresarios of today's hospitality industries.
Greenberg began his illustrious career at the age of seventeen as a promoter of fashionable private parties in nightclubs, ballrooms, and event facilities in the New England area. Soon after graduating from Boston University, Greenberg purchased and successfully launched a number of the city's most popular nightlife properties, including the Paradise, a venue credited with giving vital early exposure to then-up and coming acts such as U2 and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and M-80 playing host to some of the city's most fashion-forward hipsters.
Following a successful string of nightclub ventures along the East Coast, Greenberg shifted his focus to developing high-end hotels and restaurants. In 1997, Greenberg established himself as a respected restaurateur with the opening of Mistral, a French-Mediterranean inspired restaurant in Boston. Soon after, he added Aria, a chic nightclub located in the heart of the city's vibrant theatre district, to his impressive portfolio of nightlife properties. He also participated in the development team for the XV Beacon Hotel in 1999.
In November 2002, Greenberg once again showcased his talent and vision by successfully debuting his first New York City venue, the resplendent Stanford White-designed ballroom and event space, Capitale. Through the purchase and renovation of the historic Bowery Savings Bank, a Beaux-Arts building constructed in the 1890s, Greenberg has established Capitale as one of New York's most distinguished fine dining and event spaces. Celebrities, fashion designers, models, socialites, entertainers and politicians alike have all congregated at Capitale to celebrate at one of the venue's many exclusive parties for clients such as Virgin Airlines, Elton John, Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton and Angelina Jolie. At present, Greenberg will launch a second Capitale in the beautiful new Atelier tower on 42nd Street and 11th, to be named Espace. Additionally, he is the co-developer of the Ames Hotel in Boston, a 120 room boutique hotel designed by the Rockwell Group set to open late next year.
In addition to his hotel and restaurant ventures, Greenberg is a partner in the target marketing company Strategic Group-Boston and co-founder of Boston Common, a magazine developed by Niche Media, LLC, a robust lifestyle publishing company whose other titles include Hamptons, Gotham, Aspen Peak and Los Angeles Confidential.
Mr. Greenberg is the recipient of The Boston University Young Alumni Council 2002 Award for his achievements, character, and continued support of the University.

 

Paul G. Roiff

Co-Owner
As one of Boston's most acclaimed real estate developers, and known for pursuing projects that the real estate establishment has often deemed too daring, Paul possesses a drive and vision for urban architectural splendor that has led to the renaissance of some of Boston's most treasured communities. Paul, who has been working in the field of real estate since the age of 18, originally planned to pursue a career in music, but found himself being drawn towards a love for urban architecture.
Throughout his career, Paul, who earned a baccalaureate and MBA from Boston University, and a JD degree from Suffolk Law School, has worked on the acquisition and renovation of Boston real estate in such diverse areas as historic rehabilitation, mill restorations, HUD projects, the development of a luxury 28-acre beachfront cabana club, and the development of hundreds of residential lofts in Boston's Leather district.
In 1997, together with partners Jamie Mammano and Seth Greenberg, Paul built and became a co-owner of Mistral, a French/Mediterranean bistro located in one of his most successful developments, Boston's Albert A. Pope Building. Quickly after the opening, Mistral was named one of the "Top 25 New Restaurants in America" by Esquire Magazine, "Sexiest Bar" by Food & Wine, and earned four Best of Boston awards from Boston Magazine.
His first foray into the luxury hotel world, Paul renovated a 1903 Beaux Arts building to create XV Beacon in January of 2000. In developing the hotel, Roiff adhered to the vision of a classic and elegant environment combined with modern style that would provide an unforgettable service experience for travelers, as well as a culinary destination, Mooo...., formerly The Federalist, a modern steakhouse.
Paul followed up the success of Mistral and Mooo.... with two other restaurants, Teatro in January 2003 and Sorellina in January 2006, and L'Andana Grill, which will open in September of 2007, all of which he owns in conjunction with Jamie and The Columbus Hospitality Group. Serving as president of Heath Properties, a real estate development and finance company, Paul has also served on the board of directors of a professional software company, and as a director of Capitol Bancorp in Boston.

 

Shane Gray

Executive Pastry Chef, Mistral, Teatro, Sorellina
Shane Gray began his confectionary career as the pastry chef for a small bistro in Worcester, and soon went on gain formal training in baking and pastry arts at the Culinary Institute of America. Upon graduation in 1996, Shane was hired by The Ritz-Carlton, Boston where he trained under Chef Henry Mastrov and eventually became the hotel's assistant pastry chef. After spending five years with The Ritz-Carlton, Shane was hired by Chef Jamie Mammano in 2001 to oversee Mistral's a la carte dessert menu, private dining and special events, employee training, and daily production. Shane has since then also created the dessert menus for Teatro, and Sorellina, and has received numerous accolades for his creative pastries and delectable desserts including, 2003 Best of Show, Best Taste, and Best Overall awards for his depiction of Norman Rockwell's Studio using only sugar and chocolate at the Edible Arts event.

 

Mark D'Alessandro

Director of Operations for the Columbus Hospitality Group, General Manager of Mistral

Personality and passion are the twin hallmarks of Mark's hospitality style. The details of attentive and individualized service are key, he says, to successful interaction with every guest. And as for passion, there is no substitute for an employee's true attitude of ownership and responsibility. Mark exhorts his staff to assume a top-to-bottom approach to guest service so as to make a lasting impression each and every time.
These dual principles of personality and passion were imbedded early in Mark's career. A succession of name brand learning experiences molded his professional development. As a teen, Mark got his first taste of the epicurean world at Cardoos International Foods, a gourmet food shop in Boston (MA). Selling exotic foods, spices and coffees from around the world was a superb training ground for later employment with such established businesses as Legal Sea Foods, Sheraton Hotels, Skipjack's, and Caffe Lampara. The 1980s were spent working in both Florida and Massachusetts, and the heady experience of opening new locations added to his broad knowledge and management skills. The depth and breadth of his background moved Mistral to hire Mark in 1996, and he quickly advanced from Assistant General Manager to General Manager, then in 2006 to Director of Operations for not only Mistral but all of the properties in the Columbus Hospitality Group [Teatro, Sorellina, Mooo and L'Andana].
Mark believes in building strong and long-term relationships with guests. He enjoys meeting people, and has a knack for remembering each guest and putting him or her at ease. He strives to instill this trait in all 175 front-of-house employees under his supervision. Among the training highlights, Mark stresses consistency of execution, continual growth, and boundless commitment to guest service. He bookends each guest experience with a strong opening, a real sincere welcome right at the door and a memorable finish that appreciative acknowledgement and farewell is crucial to guest retention.
Those basic tenets of a good time at the dinner table were introduced at Mark's own family gatherings in his childhood. His Irish-Italian upbringing in Dedham (MA) offered ample opportunity to enjoy good cooking, celebratory feasts, and shared laughter. Today, he brings those early lessons of warm hospitality to a new level of sophistication. Whether its having a regular guest's habitual cocktail ready and waiting, or calling a customer at home to reveal that Mistral's famous truffle macaroni is back on the menu, he makes every guest feel special and singled out for personal attention. That is the essence of true hospitality.

Celeste Cooper

Creative Director, Repertoire
Celeste Cooper is creative director of Repertoire, a Boston-based importer of European furniture and design atelier with a sophisticated residential and commercial clientele. Essentially a modernist, Ms. Cooper is known for her shrewd manipulation of space, careful detailing, dramatic lighting, fresh exploration of materials and refined juxtaposition of old and new.
Her accomplishments are highly recognized, earning her several industry awards including the 1986 National Hexter Award for "Residential Interior of the Year", a 1987 American Society of Interior Design Excellence, and both 1991 and 1992 Illumination Design Awards from the Illuminating and Engineering Society. Ms. Cooper has participated in the prestigious Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse, where she won top honors. Her work has been published in House Beautiful, New York Magazine, Interiors, Metropolitan Home, and Interior Design.
In addition to several residences surrounding Boston and in New York City, recent projects include Mistral restaurant, the bar at Rialto, L'Espalier restaurant and XV Beacon, Boston's boutique hotel located on historic Beacon Street.
Ms. Cooper holds a Bachelor's Degree in both English and History of Art and Architecture from Tufts University as well as an Associate's Degree in Interior Design from Chamberlayne Junior College. She has received a certificate in Hotel Planning and Design. For thirteen years she was president of the Cooper Group Inc., Boston and New York.

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