Meet the man behind the food at Hard Rock Casino Rockford
Mouth-watering aromas waft through the Rockford Casino kitchen as Chef Juventino “Tino” Salazar pours a teriyaki and soy sauce mix over a sizzling wok of fried rice.
He tops the dish with sesame seeds and presents a simple, yet melt-in-your-mouth delicious example of what he does in the kitchen.
Salazar was first introduced to Asian cooking while working at Paragon on State in downtown Rockford. He says the experience there inspired him to pursue a career in culinary arts, a career that has now landed him a job as fine dining chef at Hard Rock Casino Rockford's soon-to-open Council Oak.
"At the Paragon, it was real cooking, it wasn’t just warming up food and serving it," said Salazar, 38. "By real food, I mean, you're cutting your vegetables and cooking everything from scratch. And I think that's why I appreciated it. There was an art to it."
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Born in Monterrey Nuevo Leon, Mexico, Salazar moved to Rockford with his family in 1997. He attended East High School before dropping out and going to work in the restaurant business.
He worked from the ground up to become head chef at Franchesco's Ristorante before being recruited by the Rockford Casino: A Hard Rock Opening Act.
When the permanent casino opens on Labor Day Weekend, he will take the reins of Council Oak, the Hard Rock Casino Rockford's fine dining steakhouse and seafood locale and upscale VIP Plum Lounge.
"Chef Tino is a very talented culinarian," said , said Hard Rock Casino Rockford President Geno Iafrate. "We have been fortunate to have him lead our culinary team at the Opening Act and are excited for his future at the big joint."
After high schools, Salazar worked for a while at Don Pablo's, a Mexican restaurant on East State Street. He moved to Paragon in downtown Rockford where he quickly moved up from making salads to helping cook dishes to making sushi.
"I fell in love with that," Salazar said. "And then the fact that I just kept on learning more, I just wanted more. There was also an Asian influence to the menu at the Paragon and that was all new to me."
From there, Salazar worked at Garrett's Restaurant and Bar before taking a job at at Franchesco's when it opened in April 2009. He worked at Franchesco's until 2021 when he landed the job at Rockford Casino: A Hard Rock Opening Act.
When Council Oak opens, it will specialize in dry-aged steaks. There will be a butcher on-site and a large wine selection.
Salazar also is in the process of developing menu items for the casino's quick-serve restaurants, including the birria tacos he recently tested at the temporary casino's Rock River Bar & Grill,
"Working for Hard Rock is a whole new experience," Salazar said. "It's opening up a lot of doors."
Jeff Kolkey writes about government, economic development and other issues for the Rockford Register Star. He can be reached at (815) 987-1374, via email at jkolkey@rrstar.com and on Twitter @jeffkolkey.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Hard Rock Casino Rockford head chef eager to impress at "big joint"
