Executive Chef - William Sellner

Chef William started his career at the Colony Inn Hotel in New Haven, Connecticut. He worked his way up the ladder learning classic French cuisine and emerging Creole flavors from Executive Chef Anton Pipenbacher. His next source of inspiration was under the Italian cuisine tutelage of Chef Marc Colle at Il Villano Restaurant in Westport, Connecticut. Following his mentor to Yale University’s private Club Mory, Chef William then moved on to be the sous chef at the Bluenose Inn in Bar Harbor, Maine.

The following year Chef William was appointed the Executive Chef position at the Bluenose where he elevated the hotel to AAA-Four Diamond status. In 1994, he joined Judi Stanley at Michelle’s Fine Dining at the Ivy Manor Inn, another dining establishment in Bar Harbor which achieved and maintained an AAA-Four Diamond rating for eleven years. Michelle’s continued as an AAA-Four Diamond restaurant but in 2007 Chef William took a position as Chef de Cuisine for Donald Trump’s private club, Mar-A-Largo in Palm Beach, Florida. He was elevated to Executive Sous Chef working under the direction of Karl Heinz Hauser, a 3-star Michelin chef.

After an aggressive courtship, Chef William joined the International Polo Club in Palm Beach as the Executive Chef. He spent eleven years at the International Polo Club overseeing four restaurant properties on the East Coast of Florida.  

Anxious to get back to hands-on in the kitchen, Chef William returned full circle and rejoined owner Judi Stanley to launch Pascone’s Ristorante here in Greater Sarasota/Manatee Counties. In his spare time, he acts as a Celebrity Chef on HSN with Wakaya Perfection and has written five cookbooks for their product.

When he is not in the kitchen he and his wife Christine enjoy their rescue pets (3 dogs and four cats) on their newly purchased one acre home here in Sarasota.

Be sure to say hello to Chef William when you dine at Pascone’s Ristorante.

Guided two restaurants to AAA-Four Diamond status