Paul Sletten - BEST PROFESSIONAL CHEF

Combine hard work with perseverance, add a dash of creativity, and you have professional chef Paul Sletten’s recipe for success.

Sletten worked his way up in the restaurant industry from a job at McDonald’s to owning several prominent dining b rands.

“I always liked working in restaurants, because all the different roles in food service helped me discover what I wanted to pursue,” he said. “I celebrated my 18th birthday at Café Patou and asked the chef, the late Philippe Forcioli, if he would give me an internship. Over the next five years, I became the head chef, did some private catering, and opened Abreo Restaurant in 2005.”

In addition to Abreo, Sletten owns Social Charcuterie Bar & Cocktails, Disco Chicken Food Truck, Veedubs Mobile Cocktail Bar, and the Bad Humor Ice Cream truck. The variety of his brands reflects Sletten’s culinary interests and overall philosophy on food.

“I don’t like to pigeonhole any food into specific dishes. I love bringing together the unexpected like taking an Indian ingredient, a French cooking technique, adding in a South American flavor, and serving it with locally grown produce,” he said. “It’s exciting when everything comes together, the recipe clicks and the balance is there. Then, I’m on to my next challenge.”

Sletten’s cooking style is successful brand-wide and motivates him to offer dynamic dining experiences to the community.

“That’s why we re-invented Social as a charcuterie bar,” he said. “Meeting friends over drinks, caviar and an amazing charcuterie tray adds a fun layer to the uniqueness and vibrancy of celebrating events downtown.”