Lorenzo Esquivel, Executive Chef at Café Michelle

Executive Chef and 26 year veteran of the Normandie Casino, Lorenzo Esquivel first became interested in cooking at a ripe young age of 12 in Guanajuato, Mexico. He always watched his mother, Inez, cook and he wanted to learn all that he could about how to make delectable meals. Lorenzo's mother. reminded him that "not only does the food have to taste good, but it also has to feel good in your mouth." This essential advice is something that Lorenzo has carried with him throughout his career as a chef.

After arriving in the United States at the age of 20, Lorenzo immediately applied for employment at every top restaurant he could find. The position didn't matter, as long as he could be around the best food or best chefs in the Los Angeles area. He applied at the Hungry Tiger, the Brown Derby and finally landed a dishwashing job at the Tail of the Cock Restaurant. Lorenzo worked his way up the ladder carefully studying and learning from the various chefs that worked there, eventually becoming a chef himself.

A few years later, his reputation landed him a job at the world famous Scandia Restaurant where many celebrities frequented at that time. Coincidentally, both Scandia's and the Miller Family's Normandie Casino opened their doors in 1947. Again, Lorenzo was trying to learn everything he could do passed, the word got out about this young chef and Lorenzo was recruited by the prestigious Marque West Restaurant where he had the pleasure of being tutored by the World Famous Italian Chef Pietro Giordano.

At the Marquee West, Chef Lorenzo reacted like a sponge, absorbing all the knowledge possible about intricate presentation, sauces, and spices from all over the world. In addition to learning from the acclaimed Chef Giordano and inventing creative new dishes for the restaurant, Lorenzo deservingly became an Executive Chef.

In 1982, Executive Chef Lorenzo joined the Normandie Casino Family where he consistently receives awards and praise for his Shrimp Scampi, Osso Bucco, Prime Rid and his now famous "Normandie Chicken". Lorenzo also enjoys hearing comments from the Cafe Michelle clientele. "I love to serve as much as I love to cook" says Chef Lorenzo. "Our ultimate goal is to please our customers," he continues, "I am passionate about fish dishes and I love creating new tasty sauces". Chef Lorenzo is also a master of exotic salsas.

So remember, whenever you are in the Los Angeles area, more specifically, Gardena, California, stop by the Normandie Casino for and adventure of a meal at Café Michelle.