Riviera Awards Amar Santana "Chef of The Year"

Viva Santana!

Playing top local guy on the grill in a celeb chef's restaurant can be a tough gig, but Amar Santana is more than man enough for it. As executive chef at Charlie Palmer at Bloomingdale's South Coast Plaza, Santana has exposed O.C. to all sorts of offal (the guy loves his meats and membranes), and a fair share of wonderful, too. While Charlie himself is no absentee owner (he's down from his Napa-area digs regularly), Amar has truly made the stunningly designed place his own. Suffice it to say, this Santana really rocks.


photo credit Ethan Pines

Amar Santana exec chef at Charlie Palmer at South Coast Plaza, knows his way around meat. He makes his own sausages and charcuterie. The Dominican-born Santana got his start at Palmer's Aureole in NYC.

Click here to read the full article.