Graton Resort & Casino Hires Executive Chef Roy Ellamar

Graton said Graton Resort & Casino has added Chef Roy Ellamar to its culinary team effective the last week of September.

In his new role, Ellamar will be instrumental in designing the menu of the Rohnert Park property’s future 28,000-square-foot rooftop restaurant, part of Graton’s $1 billion phased expansion project, which broke ground on June 15, 2023.

The rooftop restaurant is expected to open in the next 18 months, according to the announcement. It will offer indoor and outdoor seating for 480 people.

According to the Sept. 12 announcement, Ellamar will be involved in all pre-opening tasks including, but not limited to, menu research, branding, sourcing and vendor relations, and kitchen design and layout.

Ellamar honed his culinary skills at restaurants in Chicago and Los Angeles before moving to Las Vegas, where he served as Chef de Cuisine at Bellagio’s Sensi and transformed it into Harvest by Roy Ellamar.

In 2021, Ellamar left Harvest to open Fine Company in Downtown Summerlin, a Las Vegas restaurant that reflects his Hawaiian roots and global culinary experiences, the announcement said.

Lana Rivera, president of Graton Resort & Casino, stated in the press release that Ellamar’s “commitment to culinary excellence and sustainability aligns perfectly with our vision for expansion plans at Graton Resort & Casino.”

“Joining Graton allows me to pursue my dream of cooking in Wine Country while celebrating the rich agricultural heritage of California and Sonoma County,” Ellamar said in the announcement. “I look forward to creating menus and dining experiences that showcase the best ingredients from local farmers, ranchers and fishermen, from the coast to the mountains and everywhere in between.”

Graton’s expansion project also includes a new five-story hotel wing with over 200 rooms, a five-story parking structure with solar panels and electric vehicle charging stations, a 3,500-seat theater, and an approximately 13,000-square-foot expansion of the casino floor.