LOUIS ALVAREZ
Owner/Partner
Louis Alvarez is co-creator of Órale Mexican Kitchen. Louis was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador and immigrated to the US in 1981 to pursue and ultimately live the American Dream. He is bilingual, speaking Spanish and English fluently, and graduated from North Bergen High School in 1986.
Upon graduating, he worked at Shanghai Red’s in Weehawken, NJ, where he became Manager in charge of all floor operations. During his time there, the restaurant generated annual revenue of approximately $6.5 million. In 1993, Louis left Shanghai Red’s to join Dry Dock Restaurants, where he was the General Manager of Spirito and Club Café, generating $10 million annually.
In 2001, Louis went on to join Rosa Mexicano Restaurants in New York City as Vice President of Operations of the Northeast, and his division was responsible for generating $35 million of the $70 million total revenue that Rosa Mexicano was realizing annually. Equally important was his role in defining the Rosa concept, building and unifying the brand and training executive staff. He left Rosa Mexicano in 2012.
As a partner in Hecho Restaurants, a consulting firm he created with Alex Mendelsohn, he continues to lend his expertise to the creation and expansion of high revenue restaurant projects.
ALEX MENDELSOHN
Owner/Partner
Alex Mendelsohn is co-creator of Órale Mexican Kitchen. Born in Cliffside Park, New Jersey, he spent the remainder of his childhood in central New Jersey. In 2006, he graduated with accolades from University of Delaware, a top three hospitality school in the US, majoring in Hospitality Management and Accounting. Throughout college Alex had the opportunity to work for the Marriott hotel group and went through their management training program.
In 2004, he spent a summer in the kitchen with one of Top Chef’s winning chefs, Kevin Sbraga, at Rat’s Restaurant in Hamilton, New Jersey. The next year Alex went through the OSI Restaurant Partners management training program at Flemings Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar in Edgewater, New Jersey, where he implemented the first internship program for the organization.
Alex joined Rosa Mexicano in 2007 as a floor manager. Shortly after, the company sent him to Florida to assist with a restaurant opening, and by 2008 he was named the Beverage Manager of Rosa Mexicano in Miami, Florida. He returned to New York City in 2010 as General Manager of Rosa Mexicano’s Union Square location, which generated revenue of $12 million annually.
In 2012, he left Rosa Mexicano and went on to become General Manager of The Smith Bar and Restaurant in New York City, where he oversaw this $13 million-a-year operation, and opened The Smith Lincoln Center prior to departing. Alex is now a partner of Hecho Restaurants, a restaurant consulting group he formed with Louis Alvarez.
MARCELINO FIGUEIRAS
Beverage Director / Partner at Dullboy Bar
Marcelino Figueiras ended up in hospitality on accident. What started as a way to pay his way through college became his all consuming passion.
Marc’s enthusiasm for all things beverage and hospitality is apparent in the way he develops his cocktail program and guides a guests’ experience. He believes that the carefully curated spirits that he brings into each bar program have to be understood and respected.
To further his career and personal passion, Marc has striven to learn more about the spirits he relies on in the restaurants. He has been intentional about traveling to further his education on drinking culture and spirits around the world. He’s sought out distilleries and top Master Distillers, as well as tracking down the best cocktail bars in cities across Asia, Europe, and the US.
As a person with an overall passion for spirits, a pension for hospitality, and a love of community, Marc seeks to create a welcoming and delicious experience for guests. He has done the footwork to learn about the spirits he serves, and feels that crafting cocktails and sharing them with others is a continuation of the craft he has so diligently sought out. He hopes to be a steward and enhancer of the craft, and loves nothing more than to share this with patrons. Marcelino Figueiras ended up in hospitality on accident. What started as a way to pay his way through college became his all consuming passion.
Marc’s enthusiasm for all things beverage and hospitality is apparent in the way he develops his cocktail program and guides a guests’ experience. He believes that the carefully curated spirits that he brings into each bar program have to be understood and respected.
To further his career and personal passion, Marc has striven to learn more about the spirits he relies on in the restaurants. He has been intentional about traveling to further his education on drinking culture and spirits around the world. He’s sought out distilleries and top Master Distillers, as well as tracking down the best cocktail bars in cities across Asia, Europe, and the US.
As a person with an overall passion for spirits, a pension for hospitality, and a love of community, Marc seeks to create a welcoming and delicious experience for guests. He has done the footwork to learn about the spirits he serves, and feels that crafting cocktails and sharing them with others is a continuation of the craft he has so diligently sought out. He hopes to be a steward and enhancer of the craft, and loves nothing more than to share this with patrons.
AUSTIN TORSIELLO
Culinary Director
Austin Torsiello has spent his life dedicated to the hospitality industry. He is currently the Culinary Director for the highly revered Hecho Restaurants. Growing up in hospitality in Orlando, Florida he quickly realized his love for working in restaurants when he impressively attained his first culinary management position at the young age of 19. This role is what solidified his passion and led to him attending the Culinary Institute of America.
After graduating from the CIA, he redirected his ambitions with his eyes set on finding success in the BIG APPLE, the mecca of exquisite cuisines, exploration and social experience. In NYC. Austin joined the fast-paced kitchen of the famous Standard as a tournant. Once acclimated to the tempo of New York, Austin decided to refine his craft even further in the Michelin environment. His first stop was Junoon, where he rose from a young Chef de Partie to their Chef de Cuisine!
During his time there he co-authored several accredited books with International Celebrity Chef Vikas Khanna, best known for his appearance and championship win on the nationally televised competition cooking show, ‘Kitchen Casino’. Austin designed the kitchen for Junoon’s restaurant in Dubai and received notable media attention and fanfare for his work focusing on authentic Indian cuisine.
Feeling accomplished during his Junoon chapter, a leap of faith drew him into an opportunity joining April Bloomfield’s team at The Breslin as a sous chef! Now having spent years in the Michelin world, Austin was hungry to reach the top, where he found his next stepping stone at Masa NYC.
While working as a sous chef, Austin then took on new study under Sushi Master Masa Takayama. Perfecting his Japanese approach to cuisine came very natural to Austin—especially after so much experimenting and experience with recipes, spices and style techniques. However, after Kappo Masa received a one-star review by the NY Times, Torsiello was asked to help revamp the menu and ambiance with a new and emerging concept. This is the moment Austin had been waiting for. Now having spent years working at the highest levels of restaurants, it was now time for Torsiello to expand to his own cuisine.
Being involved in such a high end lifestyle with extraordinary social scenes, Austin was also able to execute on his other talents by building his artistic portfolio in the fashion world. He briefly worked at Dune Studios, a photography studio in the heart of the district. By feeding the ‘who’s who in the fashion world’, he was able to explore and create without boundaries.
Austin couldn’t stray away too long from what actually feeds his inner self. When friend Michele Brogioni needed his help, he quickly jumped at the chance to lead once again as a sous chef in The Leopard at des Artiste. His much desired traditional Italian pastries and other pastry work was buzzed about by all and solidified him as a household name and staple in the hospitality industry. This opened the door for a countless series of independent projects that have led Torsiello to building, fixing, consulting on highly anticipated concepts and widely expanding ideas in the culinary field.
