NOBHILL
Michael Mina
Creator / Managing Chef

Acclaimed Chef Michael Mina continues to dazzle the culinary world and all who dine at any of the Mina Group restaurants.  Mina’s bold dining concepts have helped elevate San Francisco as a world-class epicurean destination, and his dramatic restaurants have enhanced the Las Vegas dining scene.

Born in Cairo, Egypt and raised in Ellensburg, Washington, Mina has had a love affair with the kitchen and creating memorable dining experiences for guests from a very early age.  “I have been very fortunate to earn a living through my true passion, learning so much about my self and style in over a decade in the kitchen – and what I have learned is that this is still my absolute passion,” says Mina.

Mina’s epicurean journey began in 1987 at the Culinary Institute of America (C.I.A.) in upstate New York. During those 18 months of formal schooling, Mina spent his weekends sharpening his natural talents with hands-on experience in Charlie Palmer’s kitchen at the upscale Aureole in New York City.

An externship with the C.I.A. brought Mina back to the West Coast for a six-month appointment at the Bel Air Hotel in Los Angeles, California with Executive Chef George Morrone.  After graduating in 1989 Mina returned to Morrone’s kitchen and fate followed. 

Within six months of a full time position with George Morrone, the two men were presented with an opportunity to develop a concept and create a menu for an upscale seafood restaurant in San Francisco – the city Mina had dreamed of calling home one day.

Welcomed to San Francisco by a major earthquake his second day in the city, the unfazed Mina went to work, under the direction of George Morrone, and dedicated himself to creating a complete dining experience - training the entire kitchen staff personally and refining the menu as the chef de cuisine. Aqua opened to rave reviews and national acclaim in 1991 and Mina remembers, “A restaurant with such an impact hadn’t opened in San Francisco in years.”

Aqua’s executive chef from 1993 to 2002, Mina allowed his sophisticated, bold and flavor-intense dishes to continually develop, changing the menu, educating guests about the multi-faceted bounty of the oceans and earning diners’ trust.  “It is exciting, knowing that people will allow me to introduce them to unusual fare such as fresh eel or even sea urchins,” comments Mina on the more adventurous seafood specials that sell out regularly.  “I am so pleased to see the same patrons return over the years and love to get their feedback on variations of new dishes or recent menu additions.”

The James Beard Foundation award winner and four-star award-winning chef, whose accomplished gastronomic skills make him appear seasoned beyond his 36 years, has had ample opportunity to showcase his culinary and kitchen management abilities and imagination.  Over the past decade, while taking on the executive chef role at Aqua in San Francisco and receiving a four-star rating, Mina conceptualized, built and opened Charles Nob Hill in San Francisco, earning it three-and-a-half stars, Pisces in Burlingame, a three-star restaurant and Aqua Bellagio in Las Vegas, a Mobile four-star winner.

In 2001, Mina expanded his gastronomic originality and opened a completely new concept, NOBHILL at MGM Grand in Las Vegas as well as Aqua at the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort and Spa in Dana Point, California. 

Mina’s culinary and business vision led to the founding of his own company, the Mina Group, in December of 2002.  Under the Mina Group, Mina has opened two new concept restaurants: Arcadia in San Jose, California and SEABLUE at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.  
Mina remains the Managing Chef of Aqua Bellagio and NOBHILL at MGM Grand, both in Las Vegas.  Details of plans to open his signature restaurant, Michael Mina, in San Francisco are expected shortly.  The Mina Group also seeks to explore a limited number of management opportunities with select hospitality partners.

Despite the demanding schedule and intense pressure, being in the kitchen simply remains a labor of love for the James Beard Foundation-lauded Rising Star.  “I started in the kitchen when I was very young,” explains Mina, “and I am still as intrigued with the process as I was when I was a 15-year-old Garde Manger in a small French restaurant in my hometown.”