Twist Welcomes a New Chef de Cuisine

Exciting changes are stirring at TWIST located inside the Mandarin Oriental, right on the Vegas strip. Chef Ryuki Kawasaki has recently been appointed as its new Chef de Cuisine, the prestigious kitchen's captain and lead authority. Chef Kawasaki has worked under Chef Pierre Gagnaire’s wing for many years, and now, he is leading Twist to new pinnacles in the culinary arena. 

Chef Kawasaki started his culinary schooling in Tokyo, specializing in French and European cuisine. He furthered his discipline by attending Chateau de l’Eclair in Liergue, France. Straight out of school, he immediately launched his career in Michelin Star rated kitchens, a highly coveted first step into the restaurant ring. He began at the Michelin Three Star restaurant Paul Bocuse as Commis de Cuisine in France, and then moved to Taillevent Robuchon, Chef Joel Robuchon’s most famous restaurant in Japan as Chef de Partie.

After his notable five year post there, he moved back to Paris, France in 2002 and became Demi-Chef de Partie at Restaurant Nirvana. He quickly moved up the ranks and assumed the position of Senior Sous Chef at Restaurant O Rebelle. Upon his relocation to London, he took the Senior Sous Chef position at Sketch Lecture Room, a Michelin One Star restaurant under Pierre Gagnaire’s watchful eye. Working closely with Chef Gagnaire, he learned new and creative gastronomical directions to present French cuisine. Then in 2009, he was chosen to open Chef’s Gagnaire’s first restaurant in the United States, Vegas' Twist in the Mandarin Oriental as Senior Sous Chef under the direction of Chef Pascal Sanchez. As Chef Sanchez has moved on to other endeavors across the pond, Twist is proud to announce Kawasaki as its new Chef de Cuisine. 

“I feel very lucky to have worked with incredible teams led by extremely talented chefs in wonderful restaurants,” says Chef Kawasaki. Looking forward to continuing the unique styles he has learned from Pierre Gagnaire, Chef Kawasaki is now at the helm of Twist, seeking new and surprising ways to titillate guests' palates in the art of contemporary French cuisine. Since his time at Twist as Senior Sous Chef, the restaurant has received high critical praise like the Five Star rating by Forbes Travel Guide and the Michelin Three Star Award. Now, as he leads the acclaimed culinary team at Twist, there’s no doubt that Chef Kawasaki will achieve even greater heights, pushing Twist to culinary supremacy in Las Vegas.