Matthew Brake has been promoted to Ember’s Chef de Cuisine. The fine dining restaurant is located at We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort.

In his new position, Brake will be charged with menu creation, kitchen staff management, ingredient sourcing, cost control and all other responsibilities necessary “to maintain the restaurant’s esteemed reputation and quality standards as a 2022 OpenTable Diner’s Choice award recipient,” according to the announcement.

Brake’s passion for food started when he was young. Born in Hawaii, Brake lived in Washington State for many years, visited his father in South Korea every summer and traveled extensively throughout Europe. Those diverse cultures helped him develop a discerning palate for food at an early age and experience different techniques of food preparation that serve him to this day.

“I love taking something and turning it into art,” Brake said. “I look at food as so many different ingredients that can be modified and enhanced to make a beautiful dish. It truly gives me joy when I see people taking photos with their phones – that’s when you know you’ve captured your audience.”

Brake’s culinary career began at Nisqually Red Wind Casino in Olympia, Wash., as a line cook, then lead cook. He then transferred to their new seafood restaurant under the tutelage of Chef Roberto Los Banos, where he learned the fine points of grilling, sauteing, sushi preparation and meat butchering. When he moved to Arizona in 2019, Brake was hired at then-Fort McDowell Casino’s Café 87 as a production lead. A year later, he was offered the role of acting sushi chef for Sushiya.

When the new We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort debuted in October 2020, Brake became sous chef at Ember, under the direction of Chef Richard Pelz, who taught him the finer points of operating a first-class dining establishment. After transitioning to Chef de Cuisine at WKP Sports & Entertainment, Brake returned to Ember as acting Chef de Cuisine. Four months later, that position became a permanent one.

“At Ember, our food comes from a place of passion and love for this industry,” Brake said. “I want to showcase dishes that you can’t find elsewhere in the Valley, give our guests an exceptional experience every time, and establish Ember as a premier dining destination in Arizona.”