JOSEPH OFFNER

EXECUTIVE CHEF

Born in California and raised in St. Louis, Mo., Joseph’s Italian-born mother and food-industry veteran father fueled his drive to experience new cuisines and instilled in him a great curiosity for cooking at a young age. It was through his parents that Joseph realized becoming a chef would grant him the opportunity to travel and share his love for food with different people around the world.

Joseph began his culinary career in Chicago at Broadway Cellars before moving to Las Vegas in 2013 to work with award-winning Chef Rick Moonen at RM Seafood and Rx Boiler Room at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino. He then made the move back to California to work as Executive Sous Chef at the high-end, Japanese-infused restaurant Alexander’s Steakhouse in San Francisco. It was there that Joseph gained extensive knowledge of Asian and Japanese ingredients, including several types of Wagyu beef. As a result, he was sent to Taiwan to expand his craft and open the Alexander’s Steakhouse in Taipei. Upon his return, Joseph continued at their flagship in Cupertino, California under the tutelage of Michelin-Starred Chef Claude Le Tohic.

In 2017, Joseph accepted an offer as Chef de Cuisine of Presidio Social Club in San Francisco, where he helmed the kitchen with Chefs Ray Tang and Wesley Shaw. Following, Joseph served as Executive Chef at The Trident in Sausalito where he evolved a seafood-centric menu over the course of three years.

Joseph then joined MINA Group as Executive Chef of The Bungalow Kitchen by Michael Mina in Tiburon where he worked with Chef Mina to create a menu of elevated, craveable California fare inspired by local, seasonal ingredients.

Now, back to his familial roots, Joseph is cooking Italian cuisine using the abundance of fresh products that California has to offer at Bar Sprezzatura.