Chef Jarad Gallagher brings a rich background and unique perspective to his role of Vice President of Culinary Operations for Shashi Group. Starting as a barista at 14, Jarad's passion for the culinary arts led him from Seattle coffee shops to managing 52 restaurants nationwide with Restaurants Unlimited. He later distinguished himself in fine dining as Executive Chef at Silicon Valley’s Chez TJ, where he earned a Michelin star for eight years and established the destination as one of the top 50 restaurants in the Bay Area. His culinary journey includes Michelin stars at The Plumed Horse, One Market Restaurant, and Michael Mina, supported by training at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and London and stints at top European restaurants.

The pandemic sparked a new chapter for Jarad with the launch of Smoke Point BBQ in San Juan Bautista, blending his fine dining expertise with barbecue techniques. The success of this venture led to a second location in Hollister in 2023. At Shashi Group, Jarad has developed innovative food and beverage concepts for the Shashi Hotel in Mountain View, including Carte Blanche cafe, The Emerald Hour, a craft cocktail destination and BROMA, a Spanish-inspired restaurant. His approach combines quality, consistency, and guest connection. Under his direction, a fine dining concept will open at Shashi Hotel in 2025.

From high-end dining to barbecuing, Jarad has approached everything - whether a product or ingredient - with a curiosity to learn on the most basic level and make it approachable. This has applied to ventures outside of the kitchen illustrated by his relationship with San Juan Bautista’s Vertigo Coffee Roasters, where he has a hand in selecting the coffee for Carte Blanche, to his role in working with SF Specialty, a food product company, in sourcing caviar for not only his restaurant but other restaurants in the Bay Area.  

Beyond the kitchen, Jarad engages in a diverse set of interests including motorcycle racing, horses, and camping, while maintaining a focus on wholesome, from scratch cooking at home.

Born and raised in Russia, Mikhail Chalov moved to the United States as a teenager and adapted to life as a high schooler in Northern California. As a young father, he worked in various restaurants to support his daughter, but it was a job posting at Chez TJ that truly transformed his career. Despite having no fine dining experience, Mikhail eagerly embraced the opportunity and quickly found the role to be eye-opening and pivotal to his future in the hospitality industry. 

Starting as a busser at Chez TJ, Mikhail advanced through roles such as food runner, head server, and eventually general manager. During the pandemic, he joined former colleagues Justin Rodriguez and Chef Jarad Gallagher at Shashi Hotel, where he became part of the opening team, handling hiring and training in the bustling hotel restaurant environment. Reflecting on the past decade, Mikhail values his long-term professional relationships and the crucial lessons they taught him about hospitality and restaurant management.

Born and raised in Silicon Valley, Scott Klein began his culinary journey specializing in event catering at local wineries. He later moved to Sonoma, immersing himself in the wine industry for nearly a decade before returning to Silicon Valley to join the Alexander’s Steakhouse team in Cupertino. Here, he contributed to the team’s achievement of a Michelin star and continued to learn about wine, pursuing a formal education with the Court of Master Sommeliers. 

His career in fine dining has included roles at Michelin-starred establishments like The Village Pub in Woodside and Chez TJ in Mountain View, where was first introduced to Chef Jarad Gallagher. During the pandemic, he transitioned to Maître d' at Chez TJ, overseeing front-of-house operations and wine service upon its reopening. Presented with an opportunity to join Chef Jarad Gallagher at his new project at Shashi Hotel, Scott assumed the role of Service Director, leveraging his expertise in wine and further developing his front-of-house leadership alongside former Chez TJ colleagues. At BROMA and The Emerald Hour, Scott champions Spanish wines and Californian favorites, emphasizing organic and biodynamic selections while collaborating with the bar team to execute an innovative, seasonally-inspired cocktail experience.

Michael White’s transition from a corporate attorney to Lead Bartender for BROMA and The Emerald Hour marks a dramatic career shift after two decades specializing in corporate finance. Following his children’s departure for college, Michael left the legal field and ventured into craft cocktails, driven by a lifelong interest in bartending. He began with bartending school and event bartending before making a significant leap to teaching cocktail classes at SF Mixology. His expertise grew as he managed bars at notable San Francisco venues including The Warfield Theatre and Regency Ballroom. While managing those concepts, he continued to develop his skills at Town Tavern, a highly regarded craft cocktail bar in Alameda.

The pandemic brought Michael closer to home in Silicon Valley, where he joined the founding team of BROMA and The Emerald Hour at the Shashi Hotel. As Lead Bartender, he oversees bar operations and enjoys the creative process of crafting cocktails. Michael remains active in the cocktail community, keeping up with industry trends and exploring new ingredients and alcohol-free options. His journey from law to craft cocktails highlights his dedication to following passions and embracing new opportunities at any stage of life.

Born and raised in Russia, Mikhail Chalov moved to the United States as a teenager and adapted to life as a high schooler in Northern California. As a young father, he worked in various restaurants to support his daughter, but it was a job posting at Chez TJ that truly transformed his career. Despite having no fine dining experience, Mikhail eagerly embraced the opportunity and quickly found the role to be eye-opening and pivotal to his future in the hospitality industry. 

Starting as a busser at Chez TJ, Mikhail advanced through roles such as food runner, head server, and eventually general manager. During the pandemic, he joined former colleagues Justin Rodriguez and Chef Jarad Gallagher at Shashi Hotel, where he became part of the opening team, handling hiring and training in the bustling hotel restaurant environment. Reflecting on the past decade, Mikhail values his long-term professional relationships and the crucial lessons they taught him about hospitality and restaurant management.

Born and raised in Silicon Valley, Scott Klein began his culinary journey specializing in event catering at local wineries. He later moved to Sonoma, immersing himself in the wine industry for nearly a decade before returning to Silicon Valley to join the Alexander’s Steakhouse team in Cupertino. Here, he contributed to the team’s achievement of a Michelin star and continued to learn about wine, pursuing a formal education with the Court of Master Sommeliers. 

His career in fine dining has included roles at Michelin-starred establishments like The Village Pub in Woodside and Chez TJ in Mountain View, where was first introduced to Chef Jarad Gallagher. During the pandemic, he transitioned to Maître d' at Chez TJ, overseeing front-of-house operations and wine service upon its reopening. Presented with an opportunity to join Chef Jarad Gallagher at his new project at Shashi Hotel, Scott assumed the role of Service Director, leveraging his expertise in wine and further developing his front-of-house leadership alongside former Chez TJ colleagues. At BROMA and The Emerald Hour, Scott champions Spanish wines and Californian favorites, emphasizing organic and biodynamic selections while collaborating with the bar team to execute an innovative, seasonally-inspired cocktail experience.

Michael White’s transition from a corporate attorney to Lead Bartender for BROMA and The Emerald Hour marks a dramatic career shift after two decades specializing in corporate finance. Following his children’s departure for college, Michael left the legal field and ventured into craft cocktails, driven by a lifelong interest in bartending. He began with bartending school and event bartending before making a significant leap to teaching cocktail classes at SF Mixology. His expertise grew as he managed bars at notable San Francisco venues including The Warfield Theatre and Regency Ballroom. While managing those concepts, he continued to develop his skills at Town Tavern, a highly regarded craft cocktail bar in Alameda.

The pandemic brought Michael closer to home in Silicon Valley, where he joined the founding team of BROMA and The Emerald Hour at the Shashi Hotel. As Lead Bartender, he oversees bar operations and enjoys the creative process of crafting cocktails. Michael remains active in the cocktail community, keeping up with industry trends and exploring new ingredients and alcohol-free options. His journey from law to craft cocktails highlights his dedication to following passions and embracing new opportunities at any stage of life.