Executive Chef Mario Nichols was born and raised in Gastonia, North Carolina. He grew up in a family who loved food, music, and culture. It was during his childhood he found himself in the kitchen with his grandmother and mom.
“I believe that is where my inspiration sparked for food and how food brings people together”
Chef Nichols didn’t take his craft seriously until around his 18th birthday when he had hard conversations with his mentor about business. He taught Mario that in order to make an impact, you must always remember that no matter what position you are in, you represent the company and brand. This finally put it all in perspective and allowed Mario to grow in the field. He then began traveling with his mentor to cater for the Charlotte Hornets Organization's camps, training facility, etc.
"As I began my growing in the field, I stepped into a fine dining kitchen to learn a different aspect of the kitchen world. It was there I started to build other kitchen knowledge and even more passion for gastronomy. It was then I found my biggest challenge was not having the knowledge of some of the chefs who had been to culinary school. I began to dive more into the culinary world as far as terminology and online classes to further my knowledge. Many chefs who have professional culinary education are not willing to teach these skills. Mainly because it’s something they paid for. I found that to be a big challenge so in my position and through my career I am constantly sharing my knowledge and leading my team to be better. I enjoy teaching and being an inspiration to others to hone their skills."
Mario Nichols began to build a name for himself in the South Carolina area where he
ran a kitchen at a popular sports bar & grill which is now one of the most known bars/grills in South Carolina. The opportunity presented itself for him to team up with a friend to open a restaurant. While at the restaurant, they were able to earn "Best Breakfast Gaston County" four times - twice consecutively. They were honored to be able to cater for the majority of the Gaston County school system and surrounding districts. They were also able to feed first responders during the pandemic which meant a lot to him.
After this, Chef Nichols teamed up with Nellie’s Southern Kitchen as their Executive Chef in Belmont, North Carolina in 2021. The opportunity was presented to expand NSK to Las Vegas. Mario was given the opportunity to begin traveling to the new restaurant in Las Vegas, NV at MGM Grand, initially setting up the kitchen and restaurant. This was a big step in his growth as an Executive Chef. It has been a tremendous adjustment from union knowledge to adapting to the fast pace of Vegas.
Vision and Philosophy
“My vision is, the role of Executive Chef comes a lot of responsibilities, but I think the best and most important to me is leadership. For me to be able to lead a team that understands the vision and is successful in carrying it out is special. We all learn something new every day about the team and ourselves.”
Mario finds inspiration from a few things which he shared with us.
“First, my family and friends - they are what drives me and keeps me going daily. I am always inspired by my hometown and community. I think it is important for everyone to know I come from Gastonia with a population of 87,000. We will have 87,000 people who come through the hotel where I’m currently Executive Chef, so for me if I can inspire someone from home to see where I am, it would be the biggest gift. It is a daily gift for me also as I continue my journey. I want other kids who are growing up like I did to know anything is possible if you continue the grind. I want to be that example to them while challenging myself daily".
Future and Legacy
The main future plan for Chef Nichols is to continue to be a part of the growth of Nellie’s and the brand. Mario also aspires to finish his cookbook. He would like to be able to go back to Gastonia and be able to share his knowledge with kids to hopefully spark their interest. Mario would love to leave that legacy for not only his family but also his community.
One day Mario would love to have a facility to set up a Culinary Learning Center in his community to teach kids basic kitchen skills in hopes to inspire them to explore the culinary world.
If Chef Nichols could give any advice, it would be a message he listens to every morning: "Beast Mode" by Dr, Eric Thomas - "If it’s to have, I’m gonna get it and I’m not leaving none of it behind”.
Spotlights and Awards
Along with being Executive Chef at Nellies Southern Kitchen, Mario was also named Best Entrée at "Autumn Food Festival" in Lake Wylie, SC for his shrimp and grits. He was also featured in a weeklong segment on a local Las Vegas news channel the week of the Super Bowl in 2023 which displayed a few of his dishes.
In music, Mario had a record on College Radio in Greensboro, NC which was #1 on the charts for 13 weeks straight in 2005. He also opened for several major artists.
"Make sure you understand the magnitude of your move and jump - this is part of my story."
Mario Nichols | @marioso2
Executive Chef | Nellie's Southern Kitchen
Melissa Cardoso
Dia'ani | Trending News
Follow | @melisssacardoso
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