Joel Sardinha

Joel was born in Fall River Massachusetts and raised in Tiverton Rhode Island. Growing up in New England he was surrounded by fresh seafood and many diverse culinary delicacies. Joel worked his way up the culinary ladder and early in his career found himself in upscale Newport Rhode Island. He had the “pleasure” of working beside incredible Chefs who taught him that creativity is not a learned skill, but must grow with time.

Joel moved to Naples Florida where he refined his culinary skills on 5th Avenue South to become the Executive Chef of Bistro 821. Joel developed a distinctive style that fused Asian, European and domestic flavors fueling his love, passion, and propensity for the unusual. It was there that he fine tuned his skill for flavor profiling allowing him to master the art of pairing food with the distinctive characteristics of wine. After Bistro 821, Joel ventured out to create Sardinha’s, a metropolitan, upscale Mediterranean Grill. At Sardinha’s, Joel focused his “global fusion” philosophy to create some intriguing, innovative dishes blending Italian cuisine with flavor profiles from around the world. Joel then moved on to The River City Grill and the Red Fish Chop House and enjoyed the unique challenges involved in running a multi-unit establishment and never forgetting that passion is the key ingredient in any dish and in the end you should never forget your origins and the people who helped to get you where you are today.