Tom Dyrness – Executive Chef

Tom’s life has been a journey centered on his passion for food. Tom began working in restaurants as a teenager. From this young age, he knew he wanted to be a chef. His adventures have taken him on culinary trips to such places as Panama, France, England, Mexico and Italy. After earning a culinary arts degree from Johnson & Wales, he explored the United States as he worked in restaurants in Boston, Nantucket, Colorado and San Diego.

One of the most influential experiences in Dyrness’ career was working for renowned chef Wolfgang Puck, first in Las Vegas and afterward at Spago in Palo Alto, where he served as executive sous chef. During his tenure with Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group, Dyrness learned that the customer is truly the driving force for restaurant operations. If a customer came into the restaurant on a busy night and asked for chicken noodle soup, chicken noodle soup is what chef Puck would serve. Dyrness carries that philosophy with him to this day.

The family-friendly environment of Charlotte attracted Dyrness to North Carolina in 2005, and he was introduced to the Queen City culinary scene. He joined the FS Food Group team as executive chef at Mama Ricotta’s. Dyrness enjoys working with owner Frank Scibelli to develop home-style Italian-American cuisine reminiscent of nostalgic dishes from Scibelli’s family table.