Chris is Innovative

After graduating from Johnson & Wales University and traveling extensively through Europe, Chef Santos honed his craft, palette, and style in various restaurants around New York City including the cult classic Wyanoka, the famed Time Café, and award-winning Latin restaurant, Suba.

In 2005, he and partner Rich Wolf introduced the world to their unique brand of communal dining with the debut of their restaurant, The Stanton Social. The New York Times praised his innovative talent in which he tweaks traditional classics with an “infectious playfulness.” In 2007, he was named Star Chefs Rising Star Chef and began developing a sister restaurant to his first smash hit. In December 2010, Santos and Wolf welcomed Beauty & Essex to the Lower East Side. With an operational pawnshop entrance, the breathtaking design transforms the turn-of-the-century townhouse into a seductive, bi-level restaurant and lounge. In 2016, Santos introduced Beauty & Essex to the West Coast in Las Vegas, and again in Los Angeles in 2017. In 2023, Chris debuted Stanton Social Prime in Las Vegas, a spin-off of his famed New York Stanton Social with a focus on meats.

Santos released his first cookbook in 2017 to critical acclaim: “SHARE – Delicious and Surprising Recipes to Pass Around Your Table”. In addition to his restaurants, he has been a series regular and sitting judge on Food Network’s hit series “Chopped” since its debut in 2008 and is a two-time “Chopped” champion himself. Santos has been featured on NBC’s The TODAY Show, CBS’s Early Show, The Martha Stewart Show, and The Rachael Ray Show, among many others.

After nearly thirty years residing in New York City, Chef Santos now lives in Los Angeles, California with his wife, Actress Natalie Makenna, and their two Frenchies Frankie & Gigi.