A celebrity chef from New York City who is formerly linked to President Donald Trump is about to take his already hugely successful culinary career to another level.

Joe Isidori, who previously was the executive chef at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate and oversaw all of the restaurants at other Trump properties and hotels, is set to open two new restaurants at Downtown Disney in Anaheim, California, according to the Daily Mail.

The chef, who earned a prestigious Michelin star while working under Trump, already owns several iconic and innovative restaurants across the country and around the world.

Opening two new restaurants in Disneyland

The Orange County Register first reported in August 2024 on the emerging plans at that time for Isidori to open a pair of new restaurants in Downtown Disney that would replace the once-popular but shuttered Tortilla Jo's restaurant and taqueria in an Anaheim outdoor shopping center that sits adjacent to Disneyland.

Permits had already been filed to demolish the old restaurant and, aside from the news that Isidori would replace the prior structure with two new restaurants, little was known about what the new eateries run by the celebrity chef would entail.

Fast-forward eight months, and the Daily Mail reported that one of the restaurants would be named Arthur & Sons Steak and Bourbon, and would be an upscale and "sophisticated" steakhouse and bar, and would serve "prime cuts of beef, seafood, salads, sandwiches, and an impressive bourbon collection."

Next to that would be a more casual barbecue joint called Pearl's Roadside BBQ, which will be designed to resemble a 1950s-style diner with cafeteria seating and a laid-back atmosphere, and would feature "traditional barbeque dishes like pulled pork, beef brisket, and smoked heritage turkey" along with craft beer and cocktails instead of bourbon.

A chef since he was a child

Joe Isidori is a third-generation restaurateur whose parents and grandparents owned and operated fine dining establishments in and around New York City since the 1950s.

Having grown up in the restaurant business, Isidori is a critically acclaimed chef who owns several establishments across the country, including four locations in NYC of a 1990s-style Italian-American eatery known as Arthur & Sons, along with around a dozen other differently styled restaurants, including in international locations like Dubai, Geneva, and Singapore.

Isidori, who studied and honed his craft at the Culinary Institute of America, began working for the Trump Organization in 2003 and, before his eventual departure in 2009, was elevated to be the executive chef at Mar-a-Lago and placed in charge of all of the restaurants at Trump's hotels and golf courses.

He earned his Michelin star while personally overseeing the DJT restaurant at the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, after which he left the organization and returned to New York to begin opening and operating his own restaurants.

Was once asked to serve as the White House chef

In 2017, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Isidori was one of three candidates asked by President Trump to serve as the White House chef during Trump's first term in office, which Isidori politely declined.

"They were so nice to me and treated me like family," he recalled of the Trumps at that time. "Mr. Trump enjoyed the American classics like steakhouse fare, while Melania and Ivanka had more sophisticated taste. Melania’s favorite dish was poached shrimp with avocado and champagne sauce."

As to why he turned down the opportunity to work in the White House, Isidori added, "I want to focus on my restaurants, and it would be too difficult to do both."