Executive Chef, Panzano
Elise Wiggins has a plan. A career plan, that is.
From her beginnings in Louisiana to Texas, through Colorado, Puerto Rico, Tennessee and now back to Colorado, Wiggins has purposely and progressively moved up through the ranks - all the time honing her kitchen skills, tasting new flavors, managing more people and developing the talents that have won fine dining awards and accolades.
Growing up in the South, Elise’s first memories are of family and food. Weekly gatherings of cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents were alive with conversation and camaraderie. But all bets were off when it came to the food. Whose gumbo was best? Who boiled the best crawfish? The competition was friendly and fierce but Elise learned to equate great food with fun, happiness and best of all - pats on the back. But the menu wasn’t all gumbo and crawdads. Elise’s mom grew up in New York and spent her teenage summers in Northern Italy. She would prepare regional dishes she had seen at Lake Como for the kids and include a geography lesson on Northern Italy with the meal. Her family was Elise’s inspiration- a great start for a chef.
Elise began her career in the restaurant business in the front of the house as a floor manager in a Dallas restaurant, The Grotto. It wasn’t long, however, until she realized her heart and skills were best put to use in the kitchen.
After a nationwide investigation of culinary schools, Elise came to the Colorado Institute of Art’s school in Denver and graduated with honors. Several kitchen jobs in Denver included a stint as the chef of Bella Ristorante, a busy Southern Italian restaurant in Lower Downtown.
At this point, the career plan was hatched. Learn more about cuisines other than Italian, work internationally, move into resorts or hotels. Get some experience opening a new restaurant. Move up the chef ladder.
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A five month trip through Central America followed her departure from Denver. From Mexico to Panama, Elise took classes, visited markets, sampled street food to haute cuisine and enjoyed being completely away from American food and sensibilities.
Meanwhile, it was time to get back to work and an offer from the Westin Rio Mar Resort in San Juan, Puerto Rico seemed the perfect fit. The Palio restaurant at this 5 Diamond resort. Island reviewers raved about Chef de Cuisine Elise’s food at Palio, going so far as to say that Wiggins, “brings Italy to a little corner of Puerto Rico.” The restaurant earned a Mobil 4 Diamond rating during Elise’s watch.
But bigger and better things awaited Elise and “the plan” had yet to be fulfilled.
The opening chef position for the Capriccio Restaurant in the Peabody Hotel in Memphis was the next stop for Elise. This world famous hotel was completely revamping their foodservice operations and looking for a chef who could create and execute the quality and consistent Northern Italian food that they envisioned for their new restaurant. Fully responsible for menu development, training, costing, implementation and profitability of the Capriccio Restaurant, Cafe and Lounge, Elise managed a staff of 30.
“But I never wanted to leave Colorado,” said Wiggins. “When I heard about the Panzano job, I knew it was the job I really wanted and a way to get back to Denver.”
Since making her way back to the Mile High City and Panzano, Elise has caused quite a stir. The Rocky Mountain News named it Top Italian since her arrival. She was named 2005 Colorado Chef the Year by the American Culinary Federation and Panzano was awarded 4 out of 4 stars and included in the Top 25 Restaurants in Denver by 5280 magazine and the Zagat Guide.