Enjoy an intimate dinner with a true conceptual innovator.

Guests dined with Roman de Salvo, a conceptual artist and sculptor whose work takes the ordinary and familiar to new dimensions. Roman de Salvo challenges the meaning of everything from public art to home furnishings through his impeccable artistry, methodical skill and often comical twists. Recipient of the San Diego Art Prize, de Salvo beautifully challenges the status quo unlike any other.

Exquisitely prepared by Salt & Cleaver Executive Chef Carlos Anthony Sanmartano.

Wine Pairings provided by Baja Wine + Food

Images from our Event:

About the Chef:

Growing up in a large Hispanic family in Tuscon, Arizona, every aspect of Carlos Anthony’s life revolved around food. Whether it was helping his grandmother clean beans or helping his mother make sauces, build tacos and assemble tamales, he spent much of his childhood in the kitchen. Anthony’s interest in cooking evolved into a passion at age 15 when he took his first restaurant job and experienced the fast-paced intensity of the kitchen.

Anthony studied business marketing at the University of Arizona while working at local Tucson restaurants. His culinary education, however, occurred soon thereafter while working alongside notable chefs including Brian Malarkey at top San Diego restaurants Searsucker and Gabardine, and with Thomas Keller at Bouchon and Richard Reddington at the two-Michelin-starred Redd’s in Napa Valley where he learned that great food does not need to be complicated as long as it involves quality ingredients that are perfectly executed.

When the opportunity to lead the kitchen at Salt & Cleaver presented itself, Anthony jumped at the opportunity to fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming an Executive Chef. His goal at Salt & Cleaver is to add authenticity to the dishes by incorporating traditional cooking methods and techniques while building on the inventive and unpredictable style of cuisine for which the restaurant is known.

Anthony’s work at Salt & Cleaver has garnered him humbling recognition in the industry, including  Zagat’s “Top Ten Best Things We Ate This Year Across The Nation” list, for his Rib Eye Sausage; and San Diego Magazine’s “Best of San Diego” list, for his Salt & Cleaver Mac & Cheese.

Anthony simultaneously works as the Executive Chef of Taco Asylum in Costa Mesa, Orange County, CA.