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Carmen Piazza
  
 

Executive Chef
Sheraton Tyson’s Premier Hotel, VA

 
     

Chef Carmen Gianna Piazza was born in Peru and spent the first 16 years of her childhood there before moving to her father’s home country of Italy where she spent the next 20 years. While in Italy she studied Business Administration and more importantly for the career she choose, learned to cook from her family. While visiting and then eventually living in Italy she would watch and learn from her Grandfather who owned a small pastry shop in Italy. As well as her Aunt who also owned a small restaurant. There she learned the basics of true Italian cooking and family style cooking. While in Italy she followed in her family’s footsteps and opened her own restaurant that she ran for 3 years before selling it.

After selling her restaurant she then moved to the States to the DC area and worked for a few different restaurants in the DC area. She was the Chef at Café Milano. She was the Executive Chef at Extra Virgin in Shirlington, Va. She also started and still does work as a Restaurant Consultant specializing in menu development. At Famosa and M Café she worked to help develop their menu as well help change there kitchen. Once they re-opened she stayed on as there Executive Chef for the next 6 months. From there she had the chance to join the Starwood Hotels team and she took over the Sheraton Tyson’s Premier Hotel. Here she is in charge of the entire day-to-day kitchen as well as banquet duties for the hotel.

 
 

One of her influences and favorite things to make is pasta. She enjoys making homemade pasta, everything from Gnocchi, Ravioli, to Fettuccini. She is now teaching her daughter the skills to make pastas from scratch. Her motto is keeping everything light. “Let the guest taste the flavors, don’t hide them” In Chef Carmen’s free time she enjoys traveling to her home towns in both Italy as well as Peru with her daughter Martina and her Fiancé Mike.

 

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