Julian Serrano

The Path

Mediterranean-French cooking sits at the center of Julian Serrano’s work, but the throughline is how he frames the table: “It’s how I grew up in Spain, sharing food and conversation.” That idea shows up less as sentiment than as service logic, where the meal is built to hold people in a room together. Escuela Gastronomie P.P.O. Hotel management school was the training ground before California, where Masa's in San Francisco, California (1983) marked the first chef post on record. From there, the work settled into Las Vegas, a city that would become closely tied to Serrano’s name across several major dining rooms.

The Work Today

LAGO in Las Vegas, where Serrano served as chef from 2015 through 2024, shows the kind of continuity that defines his profile. Long runs matter in this trade: they point to a kitchen language that can hold over time, not just a short burst of attention. Spanish by nationality and Mediterranean-French by specialty, Serrano’s work reads as a consistent register rather than a set of detached appointments. Picasso in Las Vegas (1998–2024), Julian Serrano in Las Vegas (2009–2025), and LAGO in Las Vegas (2015–2024) each carry the same imprint: chef, room, and city linked over years of service. That repeated alignment is the craft story here. The record is marked by duration more than turnover. Rather than a sequence of brief stops, the named posts trace a sustained practice across familiar rooms, where the work could compound and settle into place.

Career - Chef — Masa's, San Francisco, California (1983) - Executive Chef — Picasso, Bellagio, Las Vegas, Nevada (1998–2024) - Chef — Julian Serrano Tapas, ARIA, Las Vegas, Nevada (2010–2025) - Chef — LAGO, Bellagio, Las Vegas, Nevada (2015–2024) - Chef — LAGO, Bellagio, Shanghai, China (2018–2024) Education: Escuela Gastronomie P.P.O. Hotel management school

Signature

Julian's signature dishes include Huevos Estrellados and duck a l’orange.

FAQ Where did Julian Serrano train or study? Julian Serrano trained at Escuela Gastronomie P.P.O. Hotel management school. What recognition has Julian Serrano received? James Beard Foundation Award (Best Chef Southwest) (2002).