Gina Marinelli, Executive Chef, La Strega
With a passion for cooking you can taste, Chef Gina Marinelli is the Executive Chef Partner at La Strega, Las Vegas’ new bewitching Italian ristorante and locals’ hotspot featuring Marinelli’s farm-to-table Italian cuisine in the heart of the renown Summerlin community. Gina Marinelli ignites an authentic Italian cultural rejuvenation by inspiring exploration of the traditions of flavorful, fresh and innovative Italian cuisine with her modern, regionally- based dishes inspired by her European travels.
Gina Marinelli has always found love and happiness in the kitchen and a strong sense of connection to not only eating Italian food – but creating it. With grandparents from Lake Como and Sicily, Marinelli credits the beginnings of her gastronomic journey to her family’s kitchen and in the company of those she holds dearest to her heart.
Upon graduating Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Orlando in 2006, Marinelli packed up her belongings for the bright city lights of Las Vegas where she worked alongside iconic chefs including Michael Mina at Nobhill Tavern, Sven Mede at American Fish at Aria and Shawn McClain at Sage at Aria where she played an instrumental role in its grand opening. After parting ways with Sage, she took a reflective two-month trek throughout Europe, during which she gained a more holistic point of view on food and enhanced respect for her craft.
In 2012, Marinelli joined James Beard award-winning chef Scott Conant at D.O.C.G Enoteca at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas as sous chef, eventually earning the title of executive chef, a position she held for six years. Marinelli soon returned to Italy and traveled along the Amalfi Coast, Rome, Sicily and Bologna to further study and immerse herself in authentic Italian cuisine.During her travels, she worked in local kitchens and cooked alongside various local and regional chefs, even participating in a fisherman tour, dishing up fresh seafood caught by locals.
Reemerging as Executive Chef of La Strega upon its opening in 2019, Chef Marinelli has brought her years of expertise to the forefront of the modern Italian restaurant and continues to maintain one of the busiest kitchens in the greater Las Vegas area. When not in the kitchen, Marinelli enjoys running, traveling with her fiance, watching movies and spending time with her two dogs, Beau and Alejandro. An avid football fan, Marinelli’s father is on the coaching staff of the Dallas Cowboys, and her brother-in-law is on the coaching staff for the Los Angeles Rams. Her love for music is a close second to her love for food. So at La Strega, her two passions will merge to take guests on a multi-sensory culinary journey that includes delicious food paired perfectly with wine and thoughtfully curated music.
In addition to her extensive culinary experience in the kitchen, Marinelli has participated in a roster of valley-wide culinary events, including Bon Appetit’s Uncork’d, Motley Brews, Life is Beautiful and Whiskey in the Wilderness. She’s appeared on “Late Nite Chef Fight” on FYI hosted by culinary enthusiast and former world champion boxer, Laila Ali, and chef/restaurateur, Vic “Vegas” Moea.