Meet the Talent

Romeo Penacino originally hails from Bunge, Buenos Aires but has lived and worked around the world. With Argentina's diverse weather, the country has a variety of ingredients that Romeo grew up experimenting with in his culinary journey, such as quinoa and peppers from the North, to wild berries and seafood from the Atlantic coast in the Southern region of Patagonia.

With Italian heritage, it was customary for his family to have gatherings around the dinner table. His paternal grandparents had a small farm so their meals were truly "farm to table", and they opened a restaurant using much of the produce they grew themselves. His maternal grandparents worked in a cheese factory and during the weekends would host large barbecue events.

Between the diversity of Argentina's culinary offering and his family's passion for food, it is no wonder Romeo attending culinary school and obtaining a Culinary degree. After working in a variety of locations around the CALA region; during his many assignments, he also developed new attractive concepts with his various culinary team.

Romeo served as the Complex Executive Chef at Aruba Marriott Complex, overseeing multiple outlets of the Resort and two vacation clubs: Ocean Club and Surf Club. His tenure as the Executive Chef at Grand Cayman Marriott Resort further enriched his culinary repertoire, where he led the development of innovative dining concepts that captivated guests' palates, which was his former assignment before arriving to Puerto Rico.

He believes the experience that he will offer at the San Juan Marriott is truly a unique one and he finds it a pleasure to be part of the process of creating marvelous cuisine experience to all guest and clients.

On his spare time Romeo enjoys cycling, fishing and scuba diving. He is an underwater photographer. Together with his wife, Ailin and his friendly dog Lio they enjoy discovering what the island has to offer.