The Team

Jesse began cooking in 1999 at an upscale Asian Pacific restaurant in Denver.  He relocated to Austin in 2000 and spent years working in local restaurants and as a personal chef while cultivating his distinctive cuisine and vision for Ecstatic Cuisine.  In 2007, a two year self-designed degree at Goddard College culminated into a thesis that was the developmental business model for Ecstatic Cuisine.  In 2008, Jesse opened Ecstatic Cuisine’s first commercial kitchen.

Jesse avidly pursues his continuing education as a chef and entrepreneur through his relationships with mentors and the national food community.The company is the synthesis of Jesse’s lifelong love of food and passion for social contribution.

Jeff Bereznay

Café Manager and Head Chef

Jeff is a 2008 graduate from the nation’s premier culinary school, the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park, New York.  After a year honing his talents at the North Star Café in Columbus, Ohio, Jeff moved to Austin and joined the Ecstatic Cuisine team in 2010.

Alexa Senter

Sales and Marketing Manager

Alexa grew up sitting shotgun in her dad’s truck taking fresh produce from farms and markets to the best restaurants in Santa Barbara, California. Lots of those fruits and veggies ended up on her plate, instilling an appreciation for good food early on. Alexa originally arrived in Austin to attend the University of Texas as a Latin American Studies major but spent the last three year living in New York City. While in NYC she worked in marketing for Whole Foods Market and attended The Natural Gourmet Institute, a leader in health supportive culinary arts and theory. She is excited to be back in Austin and working with the Ecstatic Cuisine Team great food and beautiful events!

Stephanie Piland

Senior Administrative Manager

Rural North Carolina born and raised, childhood dinner tables filled with what was locally and seasonally available ignited Stephanie’s interest in the culinary world early on.  A University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill alumnus, Stephanie relocated to Baltimore, Maryland in 2002 to further pursue her interests as the Operations Director of four luxury-level, James Beard recognized restaurants with the ForemanWolf group (www.foremanwolf.com).  Now an operational consultant for boutique restaurants and high-end food retail, she has brought her talents in organizational management and passionate hedonism to Ecstatic Cuisine after relocating to Austin in November of 2011.