About Us

Stephanie has been in the hospitality industry for 15 years, starting as a dishwasher, and quickly moving up to the front-of-house team as a server and bartender. In her free time, she was a wedding and event coordinator, as well as a florist.

Taking on many roles, Stephanie then took on the Assistant General Manager position at Rikasa in 2021.

In her time at Rikasa, she has coordinated many events and weddings that take place here. These events include some of our customer favorites such as Burlesque, Margarita’s with Your Senoritas, Murder Mystery, and Women Empower.

In 2023, Stephanie accepted the position of General Manager at Rikasa, leading our dining room team with passion, care, and a true dedication to the art of hospitality ever since.

John, also known as Wookie, has been in the hospitality industry since 2013, starting as a bartender. John made his iconic “Wookie Sauce” while bartending and got offered a position to become a chef. He worked both positions, until joining the Friedman Hospitality Group.

John took on the Sous Chef position at The Beaumont Inn, one of our sister restaurants, in 2015, working alongside their current Executive Chef. He learned many culinary skills while working there.

In 2021, John took on the Executive Chef position at Rikasa, curating his own menu with some of our customer favorites you know and love today. Although John is a Chef in our kitchen, he finds enjoyment in cooking at home. His specialty at home? A good pizza.

Elizabeth has been in the hospitality industry for 10 years, starting as a busser and quickly moving up into many positions. She started at Gricos, another establishment within the Friedman Hospitality Group, and she took on the role of a busser, hostess, server, bartender, and expo while being there for over 6 years.

Elizabeth realized her passion was working in the hospitality industry, and in 2023, took on the position of a floor manager at Rikasa. She worked hand in hand with our General Manager, Stephanie, to ensure great customer and dinner service for the guests that dine with us.

In 2024, Elizabeth took on the Assistant General Manager position. She has since grown into her role and assists with booking events and leading the team with dedication.

Dillon started as a dishwasher in 2008 at a steakhouse his Uncle owned, where he learned many of his culinary skills, and he worked his way up to becoming a sous chef for the restaurant.

Dillon has a lot of knowledge in the restaurant industry, working as a sous chef at many of your favorite local restaurants before taking on the sous chef position at Rikasa in 2022. Dillon has crafted the rooftop menu and takes pride in running the kitchen for Rikasa’s rooftop. His creative mind has definitely been an asset to Rikasa.

Alex is our longest-working chef, starting at Rikasa before we were known as Rikasa. He has been working at this location since 2013, cooking some of your favorite dishes you love, such as the Penne Shrimp & Crab, Veal Pappardelle, and Chilean Sea Bass. Alex always has a smile on his face and has a true passion for cooking as is shown in every dish he creates.

Amanda has been in the hospitality industry for 20 years but started at Rikasa in 2022, where she took on the role of a lead bartender. She is the mastermind behind your favorite cocktails and mocktails on the first floor of Rikasa! Amanda has a passion for creating beautiful, unique, and delicious cocktails for our amazing customers.

She is always getting to know each one of our customers and treats all of her guests as family!

Kim has been in the hospitality industry for 11 years and joined the Rikasa family in 2017. She started at Rikasa as a server assistant/runner, and quickly moved her way as an expediter in the kitchen. Kim took on the position of a Lead Runner at Rikasa in 2021, where she trains and assists our team of runners.

Kim is a big help in making our events run smoothly!