RESTAURANT, NIGHTLIFE INDUSTRY VETERANS LAUNCH
STACKED HOSPITALITY
The legacy of Culinary Icon André Rochat continues with the formation of Las Vegas’ newest restaurant and nightlife company, Stacked Hospitality.
In addition to currently owning and operating Alizé at the Top of the Palms Casino Resort, Stacked Hospitality will kick off 2017 with a new dining concept which will be officially announced later this month. The company’s managing partners are Joseph Marsco, Mark Purdy and John Wood who bring a combined 68 successful years of experience in dining and nightlife to the business.
Rochat is the legendary chef who created Andre’s Downtown in 1980, making it the city’s first off-strip fine dining restaurant. His cozy, neighborhood French restaurant would become one of Las Vegas’ most venerable and acclaimed restaurants and establish Rochat as a legendary trailblazer not only for the city but also for the culinary industry.
“My staff is my family. I knew when I was preparing for the next phase, Joe and Mark would become the keepers of my legacy,” says Rochat. “With the addition of John and his nightlife experience, it’s thrilling to see the vision I created more than 35 years ago grow into this new company. This team is strategic, thoughtful and innovative. They honor history while transforming it for the next generation. I’m proud and thrilled to watch the future of Andre’s legacy unfold.”
Marsco joined Rochat’s restaurants in 2001, opening Alizé. He held the position of general manager at Alizé for three years before becoming the director of operations and eventually managing partner for Andre’s entire restaurant group. He has more than 21 years of experience in opening and managing restaurants. He began his restaurant career at his family owned and operated Italian restaurant in Youngstown, Ohio. To pursue an interest in cooking and an ultimate desire to be a chef, he moved to New York to attend the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, New York. While attending the CIA, Marsco apprenticed in numerous high-profile restaurants including Lutèce with André Soltner, Le Cirque with Daniel Boulud and La Côte Basque with Jean-Jacques Rachou. He would continue his career in restaurant management by working at Bouley and CT, both located in New York and eventually move to Las Vegas to the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino at the Masquerade Village restaurants which included VooDoo Lounge and Café, Mama Maria’s Cucina, Antonio’s and Buzio’s.
Purdy’s experience includes years of creating memorable cuisine for his guests. Most recently, he was the executive chef at Alizé. During this time, he successfully blended Rochat’s traditional French cuisine with contemporary twists and accents, which propelled both Purdy and Alizé’s profile. His first job was at the age of 13 as a dishwasher in the kitchen of a modest Nantucket restaurant. He next moved on to another small restaurant, Morning Glory Café, where he started doing basic prep work for the chef and was eventually introduced to the poetry of plating food. After graduating from Skidmore College in Upstate New York, he moved to Washington, D.C. and became sous chef at I Matti. In 1996, Purdy returned to his native New York. He landed a job as an appetizer cook at Aureole under Chef Charlie Palmer. Chef Palmer was so impressed with Purdy, he brought him to Las Vegas to open Aureole at Mandalay Bay and then serve as chef de cuisine at Dry Creek Kitchen in the Sonoma wine country. By 1998, Purdy returned to Las Vegas and began his career with Rochat.
Wood has 15 years of nightlife and hospitality experience working for multiple award-winning venues and million-dollar companies. Before joining Stacked Hospitality as a managing partner, he spent nearly 10 years as senior executive director at Wynn Resorts. During this time, the resorts’ nightclubs collectively amassed more than $100 million annually. In his position, he was responsible for numerous strategic areas of the business including marketing, customer development, VIP services, security, compliance, design and development. He also orchestrated the growth of one of the most successful VIP service programs in Las Vegas nightlife, receiving the “Nightclub and Bar Top 100” award for “#1 Nightclub” seven times from 2008 to 2015. While at Wynn, he oversaw multiple venues during his tenure including La Bête, Tryst, XS and Intrigue, as well as Lure Ultra Lounge. In 2012, he assisted with the creation and launch of the Botero Supper Club, which became Wynn’s first step toward the “vibe dining” experience. Wood is an Idaho native and has lived in Las Vegas since the late ’90s, when he received his bachelor of arts degree in marketing from the University of Nevada Las Vegas.
As for the name of the company, Marsco explains, “We named the company ‘Stacked’ because every guest’s experience is the result of a building process of sorts, ‘stacking’ one positive experience upon another. From the time the guest makes a reservation, to the moment they leave the venue, every interaction along the way. It’s a simple but powerful concept that resonates with our staff.”
