Benjamin Dayag - Chef de Cuisine of Livello

Dayag’s first culinary experience began when he traveled to the Philippines as an adolescent to visit his grandparents on their farm. There, he became inspired by their back-country lifestyle and quickly learned the basics of planting rice, growing and picking seasonal vegetables, even butchering poultry. Throughout these informative years he would assist his grandmother in preparing traditional Southeast Asian dishes. Back home in San Diego, his mother encouraged him to accompany her to the local farmers’ markets. These combined experiences served to spark his curiosity and enthusiasm for cooking.

Wanting to expand his knowledge, Dayag enrolled at the National Culinary School in San Diego where he honed his kitchen skills while nourishing his passion for cooking. After graduation he moved to Las Vegas to continue his education as line cook at one of the country’s leading restaurants, Nobu. There he learned traditional Japanese techniques, including precision knife skills and the subtle finesse of cooking. Within a year, he was promoted to sous chef, and was responsible for the development of daily tasting menus and specials for more than 4 years.

Fully immersed in the world of food, Dayag took a position as the opening chef de cuisine for Social House, a four-star Asian restaurant and sushi bar in Las Vegas in 2006. There he was responsible for menu development including the Omakase menus for 3 years. To further the success of Social House restaurants he was appointed chef de cuisine at Social House at Crystals in the new City Center at Las Vegas in 2010, and promoted to executive chef in 2011.