JW Marriott Austin Culinary Fact Sheet
Osteria Pronto is a full-service regional Italian restaurant. Using a thoughtful approach to
cooking from scratch and a sincere commitment to fresh, local ingredients, Osteria Pronto’s
menu is designed to offer a twist on classic Italian dishes with simple, distinctive flavors.
Executive Chef Gilberto Ramirez leads the culinary team at Osteria Pronto. Ramirez’s passion
for cooking began at the age of 13 while working in his family’s restaurant and helping his
father raise goats, chickens and pigs on their family farm. In 2005, he earned his culinary arts
degree from the Orlando Culinary Academy and began his career at the JW Marriott Orlando
Grande Lakes Resort restaurant, Citron. Ramirez excelled at the resort and became the chef de
cuisine for world renowned Chef Melissa Kelly at the famed Primo restaurant located inside the
resort.
OP Wine Bar is a sleek addition to Osteria Pronto’s already modern take on Italian cuisine.
Purposefully built around the existing wood fire pizza oven, the 14-seat bar (with additional
cocktail table seating) draws its inspiration from the traditional Italian cicchetti bars or osteries
of Venice, Italy.
The Osteria Pronto culinary team crafted small bite menus specifically for OP Wine Bar. The
menu includes shareable antipasti plates featuring a variety of marinated olives, regional
cheeses, and cured and smoked meats. Each menu item also offers a suggested selected wine
pairing.
OP Wine Bar boasts a cocktail menu showcasing a variety of local spirits and classic Italian
liqueurs, such as the Menta Limone made with Texas’ Dripping Springs gin and Italian
Caravella limoncello.
Corner is a lively restaurant featuring Texas-inspired cuisine with fresh local ingredients. The
menu features a selection of grilled meat and fish, a variety of local craft beers on tap and
several Texas wines and spirits, including uniquely crafted Tequila cocktails.
Executive Chef Jennifer Etzkin leads the culinary operations at Corner, and Anne Tabakian
serves as the general manager. Etzkin graduated with honors from The Institute of Culinary
Education of New York City and has worked at renowned restaurants including Eleven Madison
Park and Atlantic Grill, both located in New York City. Chef Jennifer received the “Rising Star
Ace Award” from Marriott International in 2015, which is the highest recognition awarded to
the top culinary talent within all Marriott International brands.
Burger Bar on Congress, the third restaurant at the JW Marriott Austin, has a walk-up food
truck-style window on Congress Ave. Burger Bar serves burgers, hand/cut fries and shakes at
lunchtime and the early evening. In 2016, Burger Bar added draft beer to the menu as well as
outdoor seating located on Congress Ave.
Executive Chef Bios
Chad Blunston, Executive Chef for JW Marriott Austin
Executive Chef Chad Blunston joined the JW Marriott Austin
team in August 2016 and oversees culinary operations for the
three restaurants as well as banquets and events.
Blunston brings more than 25 years of experience in the
culinary and hospitality industry to the JW Marriott Austin.
He began his culinary career in 1991 as an apprentice with
Canadian Pacific Hotels at The Prince Edward in P.E.I., Canada.
He then held Banquet Chef positions at The Ritz-Carlton, St.
Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands and The Ritz-Carlton, Grand
Cayman—all before joining the Fairmont Company in 2009, holding 3 different executive chef
positions of three years before joining the JW Marriott Austin.
Gilberto Ramirez, Executive Chef for Osteria Pronto
Executive Chef Gilberto Ramirez joined the Osteria Pronto
culinary team in 2014, prior to the hotel opening, with a
wealth of knowledge in Mediterranean and Italian cuisine.
Cher Ramirez’ leadership and culinary influence adds a
special ingredient to the many robust flavors for which
Osteria Pronto is known. A native of Dominican Republic, he
was inspired by his mother who is an incredible cook and his
father who raised goats, chickens and pigs, and grew their
own produce such as yucca, plantains and peppers.
Chef Ramirez enrolled in the Le Cordon Blue Program at Orlando Culinary Academy in
2005, earning an Associate’s Degree in Culinary Arts the following year. In addition to
working at many high-end restaurants, he just recently trained at Eleven Madison Park and
Manresa.
Jennifer Etzkin, Executive Chef for Corner
Executive Chef Jennifer Etzkin joined the Corner culinary team
in 2014, prior to the hotel opening, bringing with her six years
of experience in the culinary industry.
Chef Jennifer has extensive knowledge in fine dining cuisine
and training. A graduate of the North Carolina School of Arts
and an Honors Graduate of The Institute of Culinary Education
of NYC, She finished both degrees top of her class.
Chef Jennifer worked a total of four years with the Hillstone
Restaurant group in many leadership roles. Her last position
was at the East Hampton Grill as Director of Management Training, achieving great results
training all new managers for the company.
Mahdi Spadavecchia, Director of Food & Beverage
Mehdi Spadavecchia joined the JW Marriott Austin team in
2016 as Director of Food and Beverage. Mehdi previously
served as White Lodging’s Corporate Chef where he was
responsible for helping launch the corporate test kitchen, aided
in designing restaurants and menu concepts, and supported the
roll out of the White Lodging Way Back of House restaurant
management training.
Mehdi has a great deal of experience in the hospitality industry
including a foundation of culinary experience from his early
start in the hotel business. Through the years his career path has taken him into several
leadership roles from Executive Chef to multiple positions as Director of Food and
Beverage. His Director of Food and Beverage roles with White Lodging include the
Louisville Marriott Downtown and he was on the opening team of the JW Marriott
Indianapolis.