TEAM
Tony Mantuano
Food and Beverage Partner
James Beard Award-winning and Michelin-starred Chef Tony Mantuano represents an exceptional brand of Italian cuisine. As Food and Beverage Partner at Yolan and The Joseph, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Nashville, he guides the culinary program, menu creation and execution, and the spirit of hospitality for the entire property and its three distinct dining outlets.
Respected in the hospitality industry as a consummate mentor, Chef Mantuano has a gift for spotting and nurturing talent. His proteges – some of whom include lauded chefs Missy Robbins, Joe Flamm, and Sarah Gruenenberg – have gone on to achieve great success.
The first to bring fine Italian dining to Chicago’s Spiaggia – one of the country’s most decorated Italian restaurants – Mantuano has built a reputation of excellence throughout his formidable career and has received 12 nominations from The James Beard Foundation, winning Best Chef Midwest in 2005. Loyal to causes close to his heart, he was also honored by President Barack Obama for his culinary contributions to diplomacy.
Mantuano is often recognized for his appearances on national broadcasts and at prestigious culinary symposiums worldwide. He is also the co-author of “Wine Bar Food,” a celebration of the Mediterranean, and lives in Nashville with his wife Cathy Mantuano.
Cathy Mantuano
Food and Beverage Partner
A wine and hospitality expert, Cathy Mantuano has a gift for curating thoughtful beverage programs while evoking an inimitable spirit of hospitality. With decades of service at award-winning restaurants nationwide, she brings her talents to Yolan and The Joseph, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Nashville, as Food and Beverage Partner, overseeing the beverage and service programs here at Yolan, as well as Denim, the hotel's rooftop bar, and Four Walls, an intimate cocktail bar hidden within the hotel.
A rarity for most restaurants, Cathy has built and oversees an impressive team of four sommeliers at Yolan. With unquenchable thirst for learning, Cathy continually builds her encyclopedic knowledge, especially through travel. She appreciates the discovery of boutique varietals, organic and biodynamic selections, women winemakers, and the world of aperitivi and digestivi.
Now living in Nashville with her husband Tony Mantuano, Cathy is the co-author of “Wine Bar Food,” an homage to the vibrant food and drink of the Mediterranean.
SELIM Ülker
Head Sous Chef
Born and raised in Ankara, Turkey, Selim Ülker hails from a culture and family rooted in shared culinary experiences. A passion for hospitality was inspired by nights in his home kitchen learning tradition and technique from his mother, which fueled him to embark on a path that began at his culinary high school and took him to the kitchens of Istanbul’s most esteemed five-star hotels.
Upon traveling to the U.S., Ülker opened Nashville’s Edessa restaurant as chef-de-cuisine until he moved to Yolan, where he was promoted three times in one year to his current position as head sous chef. Outside of Yolan, you will find him studying history, food culture, and enjoying the area’s amazing national parks.
nOELLE MARCHETTI
Executive Pastry Chef
2023 James Beard Award Semifinalist, Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker
Executive Pastry Chef, Noelle Marchetti oversees all pastry and desserts made property-wide at The Joseph, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Nashville, including creations for refined Italian restaurant, Yolan; rooftop bar, Denim; the Coffee Bar; in-room dining; weddings; and banquets. She constantly pushes the envelope, developing unique and daring desserts that are always beautifully plated and rich in flavor, showcasing the finest in-season ingredients. Chef Marchetti also created the famed focaccia recipe, a highlight of Yolan’s tableside bread service.
Marchetti began her career at Montage Deer Valley in Park City, Utah, where she immediately fell in love with the hotel industry. She then moved east and spent five years leading the pastry program at the Ballantyne Hotel and Lodge in Charlotte, North Carolina, before joining the team at The Joseph.
Marchetti grew up in the Hudson Valley in Kingston, New York where she was surrounded by fresh local food. She spent her younger days baking in the kitchen with her grandfather. She attended The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, where she graduated with Magna Cum Laude honors in pastry and baking. Marchetti currently resides in Nashville with her husband Dan, their newborn daughter, and their dogs, Hoover and Hattie.
Abby wells
Pastry Sous Chef
Born and raised in the small town of Clover, South Carolina, Abby Wells first fell in love with food through cooking dinners with her family using ingredients from her mother’s garden. After studying art in high school and college, Abby combined her passion for art and love of the kitchen to receive her bachelor’s degree from Johnson & Wales University in Baking & Pastry Arts and Food Service Management.
Abby honed her craft in pastry kitchens throughout Charlotte, making her way to pastry sous chef of The Ballantyne Hotel where she met Chef Noelle Marchetti. In August 2020, Abby joined Noelle and moved to Nashville as part of the opening pastry team for The Joseph, where the duo has since created all pastry and desserts for the hotel, from intricate plated desserts for Yolan, to treats for The Joseph’s Coffee Bar, in room dining service, rooftop bar, weddings and banquets. Abby continues to draw inspiration from her earlier memories in the kitchen, crafting desserts that nod to stories of her childhood and artfully designed plates. Abby enjoys exploring Nashville and the surrounding areas, doing anything outdoors from hiking and hanging with her dogs, to farmer’s markets and gardening.