Julian Serrano is a Spanish chef who lives and works in the United States. [1] He first gained attention in San Francisco and was later active in Las Vegas until his 2025 retirement. [2]
A native of Madrid, Serrano is a graduate of the Escuela Gastronomie P.P.O. hotel management school in Marbella, Spain. [3] [ better source needed ] He has spent time at Lucas-Carlton in Paris, Hotel de France in Auch, France, Chez Max in Zurich and L’Aubergine in Munich.[ citation needed ] He worked in several restaurants, Caribbean cruise liners, Nashville and San Francisco. [1]
Following brief positions in Miami and Nashville, Serrano moved to San Francisco, where in 1983 he helped open Masa's under the guidance of Masataka Kobayashi. [1]
In 1998, Serrano brought his Mediterranean-French cooking to Bellagio in Las Vegas as Executive Chef of Picasso. [4] Serrano also has a restaurant at Aria named after him serving tapas and other Spanish food, as well as molecular gastronomy. [5]
In April 2015, he opened LAGO at the Bellagio. [6]
In May 2024, Serrano announced his upcoming retirement and that Picasso will be closing in August 2024. [7]