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 Company Team Members:
Peter Castillo, Corporate Chef
Chef Peter Castillo began his cooking career in 1980 after receiving his culinary training at Johnson County Community College and finishing a three year apprenticeship under Chef's Phillip Guttendorf and Jin Saito at the Hyatt Regency in Kansas City.
Before finishing his apprenticeship, Chef Peter was promoted to Sous Chef of the Skies Restaurant, an unprecedented move for any premier hotel to make with an apprentice halfway through school.
Chefs Guttendorf and Saito, along with food & beverage director George Vizer recognized that Chef Pete possessed the culinary skill and business management knowledge to operate a first class venue.
During his tenure with the Hyatt Hotels, Chef Pete operated the Garde Manger Kitchen, the Peppercorn Duck Club & the Banquet Operations. Chef Pete won several awards in food competition and ice carving during this time.
In 1987, Chef Pete joined the famous Café Allegro on 39th streets restaurant row in Kansas City and in 1988 joined Lake Quivira Country Club, feeling that these two moves helped round out his background in different venues Chef Pete jumped at the offer to design, plan and operate the food and beverage operation at the Woodlands Horse and Greyhound Track which opened in 1989 in Kansas City. While at the Woodlands Chef Pete developed an off premise catering division which launched the Woodlands into being the largest in both size and revenue food and beverage operation in the four state area with sales totaling over 7 million dollars a year.
During the four years Chef Pete spent at the Woodlands he was named Chef of the Year by the Kansas City Chefs Association, received the Kansas Beef Backer Award, was inducted into the Chaine D' Rotisseur a food society founded in 1248, and won several ice carving awards. In 1991, Chef Pete was reserve grand champion American Royal BBQ, and hosted the first television food show produced in Kansas City on WDAF Channel 4. He also had occasional productions on public television KCPT Channel 19.
Late in 1994, Chef Peter decided to open his own establishment with an emphasis on the cuisine of his childhood. Blending the flavors of Barcelona and Cuba he named the café, Tenerife being the last bastion of European civilization on your way to the new world and just the opposite on the way back to Europe during the early days of the settlement of the Americas. Then Food editor John Montallaro of the Kansas City Star rated the Tenerife Café 3 ½ stars. After making the difficult decision of closing the café in order to spend more time at home with his three young sons and wife, Chef Pete accepted an offer from Mr. Ned Eddy owner of Eddy's Catering to operate his Bartle Hall and off premise catering operation.
During the next five years Chef Pete concentrated on bringing his flair to private affairs, weddings, corporate events and feeding the thousands of convention visitors to Kansas City. With great kudos and accolades Chef Pete decided to start his own catering enterprise. With his culinary, college and professional training in public relations and sales, Chef Pete became an entrepreneur by forming his own catering company and christening it "Great Plains Catering"
After three and a half years of great success Chef Pete has merged with Jeff Hataway of Flowers of the Flames and Mobilicious to form Kansas City's largest multi faceted catering company, being able to cater every sort of event imaginable. No catered event is impossible for this new team.
Chef peter has also done extensive consulting for Newlywed Foods, PepsiCo and many local restaurant groups. In his spare time, Chef Pete enjoys cooking, reading, bicycling, and most of all, spending time with his grand daughter, Sophia.
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