From line cook to head chef, meet the Hard Rock Casino Rockford's 'talented culinarian'

Mouth-watering aromas waft through the Rockford Casino kitchen as Chef Juventino “Tino” Salazar drizzles a teriyaki and soy sauce mix into a sizzling wok of fried rice.

Melt-in-your-mouth delicious, Salazar, 38, sprinkles the dish with sesame seeds as a finishing touch.

Perhaps it was fitting that Salazar chose a simple but excellent Asian recipe to demonstrate during a recent visit, as he credits his time at the old Paragon on State in downtown Rockford - where he was introduced to Asian cooking for the first time and learned to make sushi - with inspiring him to pursue a career in the culinary arts. (The District Bar and Grill, 205 W. State St., now occupies the space where the Paragon once operated.)

"At the Paragon, it was real cooking, it wasn’t just warming up food and serving it," Salazar said. "By real food, I mean, you're cutting your vegetables and cooking everything from scratch. And I think that's why I appreciated it. There was an art to it."

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Born in Monterrey Nuevo Leon, Mexico, Salazar moved to Rockford with his family in 1997. He attended East High School before dropping out and going to work in the restaurant business.

He worked his way from the ground up to eventually become head chef first at Franchesco's Ristorante before he was recruited by the Rockford Casino: A Hard Rock Opening Act.

When the permanent casino opens on East State Street on Labor Day Weekend, he will take the reins of Council Oak, the Hard Rock Casino Rockford's fine dining steakhouse and seafood locale and upscale VIP Plum Lounge, said Hard Rock Casino Rockford President Geno Iafrate.

"Chef Tino is a very talented culinarian," Iafrate said. "We have been fortunate to have him lead our culinary team at the Opening Act and are excited for his future at the big joint where he will be our fine dining chef."

He worked for a while at Don Pablo's Mexican restaurant after high school where Buffalo Wild Wings is now located on East State Street. He moved to Paragon in downtown Rockford where he quickly graduated from making salads to helping cook and even craft sushi.

"I fell in love with that," Salazar said. "And then the fact that I just kept on learning more, I just wanted more. There was also an Asian influence to the menu at the Paragon and that was all new to me."

From there, Salazar went to work at Garrett's Restaurant and Bar where he honed his skills and went from line cook to sous chef. He jumped at the chance to work at Franchesco's when it opened in April 2009, working under the tutelage of talented executive chefs from Chicago, "absorbing information like a sponge" and was soon promoted.

In all he worked at Franchesco's for 13 years, the last decade as head chef before moving to the Rockford Casino in 2021. He said the biggest challenge at the big joint where they will need about 200 restaurant and bar staff will be hiring enough workers.

Salazar said Council Oak specializes in dry-aged steaks, will have a butcher on site and offer a huge wine selection. Meanwhile, Salazar is also developing menu items for some of the planned quick-serve restaurants. Salazar said guests at the Opening Act have loved the trendy birria tacos he has tested at the Rock River Bar & Grill.

"Working for Hard Rock is a whole new experience and I feel like I'm on a different level now," Salazar said. "It's opening up a lot of doors."

Jeff Kolkey writes about government, economic development and other issues for the Rockford Register Star. He can be reached at (815) 987-1374, via email at jkolkey@rrstar.com and on Twitter @jeffkolkey.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Hard Rock Rockford will need 200 servers, cooks and restaurant staff