As an Executive Chef & Operator with 15 years of experience in the Food & Beverage industry, JB has a lifetime of culinary heritage. After spending his childhood in the Philippines around his family-owned restaurants, he decided to break from the family tradition and build a career around events and concert management. Armed with enough experience, he moved back to the US in 2008 to try his luck. It didn’t take long to realize the hardships of the recession, and he found himself back where he felt most at home; around food and hospitality. 

Since then, he’s held nearly every position in restaurants, from dishwasher and busser in national chains to Director of Culinary Operations for a multi-unit restaurant group. In 2015, JB opened his first restaurant, The Hideout Kitchen, in Lafayette, California, with nothing but a menu and a dream. JB’s experiences in events and hospitality have helped him solidify The Hideout Kitchen’s reputation as a fun, energetic space with live music and entertainment. 

In addition, JB also runs Morello Restaurant Solutions, a restaurant management company based in Lafayette, California, and consults for numerous restaurant groups and concepts around the San Francisco Bay Area.