About
From watching his Hungarian parents prepare family dinner to leading his own kitchens across Southern California, Chef Alfred “Alfie” Szeprethy has always been surrounded by, and fascinated with, food. In just over 10 years, Chef Alfie has risen to his current role as Executive Corporate Chef of the San Diego-born staple Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza & Grill and Toasted Gastrobrunch.
After graduating in 2007 with a Culinary Arts degree from The Art Institute of California, San Diego, “Chef Alfie” joined the team at Blue Coral Seafood & Spirits in La Jolla, beginning as a prep cook and working his way onto the hot line. His hard-work ethics resulted in a promotion to Sous Chef within a year. Chef Alfie then ventured to San Diego’s Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse, working as Executive Sous Chef before opening the Los Angeles outpost at L.A Live. Upon returning to San Diego, Chef Alfie took the helm at Banbu Sushi Bar and Grill as Executive Chef, elevating his expertise of seafood before moving to Top of the Market; The Fish Market’s fine dining establishment along the San Diego Bay. During his tenure at Top of the Market, Chef Alfie earned a Gold Medallion Award in 2013 from the California Restaurant Association for ‘Best Seafood, Fine Dining Restaurant.’
Later that year, Alfie accepted a position as Executive Chef of Roppongi Restaurant & Sushi Bar, San Diego restaurateur Sami Ladeki’s upscale La Jolla concept, until its shuttering in 2015. Pivoting his talent for commanding large kitchens, Chef Alfie took over as Executive Corporate Chef at Ladeki’s multi-location concept, Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza. He currently leads back-of-house operations for both Sammy’s and Toasted Gastrobrunch’s 15 locations across Southern California and Nevada. As Executive Corporate Chef of Sammy’s, he combines his passion for comfort food with his experience in high-end dining to create a robust menu of memorable, global cuisine. In addition, Chef Alfie leads menu development for current and new concepts within the Ladeki Restaurant Group, including the new Seafood Concept Fresh and the Reopening of Roppongi, Modern Asian Cuisine. He was named Chef of the Year for 2023 by the California Restaurant Association.
