Scarlet Kitchen & Lounge is a woman owned and independently operated Restaurant with Executive Chef Paige Riordan at the helm of it all!
The Scarlet vision started as a family-owned restaurant and still continues those values. Chef Paige and her father, Chef Marty Manley started creating the menu together back in 2018 after both of them attended their respective culinary schools simultaneously, and much like the menu at Scarlet itself creates a convergence of East Coast meets West Coast. Chef Paige’s roots originate in Massachusetts. She was raised by her father, a former commercial fisherman and captain and her mother, Anne Manley, co-owner and CFO of a family owned business on the East Coast.
The family set to embark on a journey to Orange County and create the dream of opening a restaurant in Rancho Mission Viejo. Paige and her mother created the entire design of the restaurant and hand picked everything from the bar top, to the chairs, to the beautiful Hollywood glam chandeliers. Scarlet opened in January of 2020 and is now independently owned and operated by Chef Paige herself with the guidance and support of her family. They set her up for success and let her take the wheel creating a beautifully running restaurant.
Paige is joined by her General Manager Rachael Burrison, who has worked in the restaurant industry for the past 24 years. Rachael originally started at Scarlet as a bartender working her way up to General Manager! She sets the bar high and leads the front of the house team determined to up the standards of service daily. Paige and Rachael are both joined by assistant manager Shanon Kalin, who has been a strong asset to the front of the house operations at Scarlet. The trio is set to make Scarlet even better than it was in the past and is stopping at nothing to make sure Scarlet stays at the top of everyone’s favorite restaurant list!
Chef Paige certainly where’s many hats but could not run the day to day without her co-executive Chef, Daniel Martinez. Chef Daniel has been with Scarlet for the past 4 years and is a pinnacle piece to the restaurant. Chef Daniel has 25 plus years experience in the fine dining restaurant industry. He understands Chef Paige’s vision and delivers to help create specialty menu items weekly! Chef Daniel’s brothers both have leading positions at Scarlet. Gonzalo Cruz serves as Sous Chef and Pedro Cruz, Kitchen Manager. Scarlet is family-operated in every sense of the word. Chef Paige’s team is made up of 48 employees that she calls her family!
Chef Paige Riordan is a creator, a leader and humbly proud of what she has built. She runs everything from the social media, designing menus, accounting, marketing, food and beverage program, seasonal menu changes and stays on top of leading the management team daily, setting them up for their success as leaders. Chef Paige believes in empowering her staff and managers to be the absolute best they can be in the restaurant and personally. Paige speaks out a lot about Mental Health and is a proud advocate fighting against the stigma! If you happen to miss Chef Paige walking around the restaurant you may find her working from home with her Aussie Doodle, Truffles or traveling the country. She truly finds balance in chaos at times and has been able to travel at times to cook privately for wealthy clients. Her multiple travels to Maui, Puerto Rico, Florida, Charleston, Las Vegas, New Jersey, Massachusetts and many more have helped inspire her creatively. Chef Paige has a love and passion for wine, enjoys nature and camping, listening to her favorite podcasts, cozying up with a good novel, listening to her favorite musicians like Aaron Lewis, Tash Sultana or Robert Jon & the Wreck (Rachael’s, husbands band)! She believes this industry can deplete you if you do not take care of yourself. She is committed to balance and rest, to not burn out like so many restaurant operators do. She keeps to a healthy lifestyle so that she can be the best for her team and her customers!
