Rita Bernhardt

Rita Bernhardt (born c. 1990) is the executive chef of Luca

Bernhardt trained at the Western Culinary school in Portland, Oregon. She began working as a line cook in Domenica in New Orleans, Louisiana's Roosevelt Hotel in 2011. She met and married restaurateur William Barial III. They ran their own pop-up, supper club and catering service for a while. She also consulted with several restaurants. and worked as a food stylist for the HBO series "Treme".

Bernhardt was brought back to Domenica by the former Besh Restaurant Group to serve as chef de cuisine in April 2018.

In April 2019 Barial and Bernhardt were recruited to operate Satterfield's in Cahaba Heights. The Pihakis Restaurant Group hired her as executive chef for their new Luca restaurant at Pepper Place in 2021.

References

• McNulty, Ian (April 19, 2018) "Domenica has a new chef, and she's no stranger to this high-profile Italian restaurant." The New Orleans Advocate
• Stuart, Shauna (April 19, 2019) "Satterfield’s names New Orleans’ Rita Bernhardt as new executive chef." The Birmingham News
• Van der Bijl, Hanno (April 16, 2021) "Pihakis to open new Italian restaurant concept near Pepper Place." Birmingham Business Journal