Wayne Homsi

Wayne Homsi, executive chef and owner at Casual Elegance, graduated with honors from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. He quickly became the youngest Sous Chef at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel and has worked for some of the finest New York City restaurants.

Based on his success, Wayne was recruited to work at restaurants such as Peacock Alley, Artisanal Fromagerie, and Picholine. He then sought out opportunities to train with and work in the kitchens of many esteemed chefs including Laurant Gras, Eric Ripert, Laurant Manrique, Daniel Boulude, Terrance Brennen, Gray Kunz, John Doherty, and Jeroen Van den Bos. In 2002, Wayne became the Executive Chef and partner at the highly regarded Il Barilotto Restaurant and Wine Bar located in the beautiful Hudson Valley. During his tenure, Il Barilotto was rated by Zagat as one of the best Italian restaurants in the country and brought its rating from 24 “very good to excellent” to a 27 “extraordinary to perfection.

In addition to his business venture, Wayne teaches recreational cooking classes locally at the Poughkeepsie Open Kitchen and the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, as well as at the Institute of Culinary Education in Manhattan and the Zwilling Cooking School in Westchester.