OCTOBER HONOREE
Rob Stinson, Executive Chef, and Owner of Salute Italian, Kellys, The Reef, has made a huge impact on the Mississippi Gulf Coast in the past sixteen years. Rob has opened thirty-four (34) restaurants in his career, owning six of those. Rob is starring in the eighth season on MPB, Mississippi Public Broadcasting, “Fit to Eat,” designed to educate and change the eating and cooking style of Mississippi viewers. The show is focused on healthy cooking techniques and utilizes fresh and sustainable products. Rob performs healthy cooking demonstrations for the medical profession. Rob was a faculty member of the Cleveland Clinic demonstrating healthy cooking techniques on the Coast at MGCCC. Rob cooked and was featured on national ABC TV on the show “The Chew.” Rob was chosen by Governor Barbour to represent the state of Mississippi as the official Chef of Mississippi in the Great American Seafood Cook-Off in New Orleans. Rob also represents the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources Seafood Marketing as their official Chef of Mississippi. Eat Right Meal Prep, certified by "Eat Fit" was created to bring healthy meals to the public. Eat Fit is a program of Ochsner Hospital to work with businesses to certify healthy nutritional food.
Rob’s community involvement has separated him from other businesses on the Gulf Coast as he serves as president of the Biloxi Boardwalk Association, Executive Member of the Gulfport Main Street, and has been appointed as a Commissioner on the State’s Tourism and Convention Board.
Salute Italian was voted best Italian Seafood Restaurant on the Coast seven years in a row: 2012-2019. Salute’s award-winning kitchen is the location where all Eat Right Meal Prep is prepared. Rob trained under Cordon Bleu Chef Gerald Thabuis, former Chef for President of France, Charles DeGaulle, Master Italian Chef Ciro Cuomo, and Creole Chef extraordinaire Nathaniel Burton in New Orleans. Rob has filmed a weekly cooking segment on WLOX ABC TV, “Salute” for the past 16 years. His spectrum of work has spanned from 5-star dining at Windsor Court Hotel Grill Room and Broussards in New Orleans, to opening and managing the highest volume restaurant in the world, Orlando Planet Hollywood. Rob was born in Mount Vernon, New York, grew up in Shaker Heights, Ohio, and attended Miami University in Oxford Ohio. Rob, his wife Paige, children Samuel and Abigail live in Long Beach Mississippi.