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Recognizable as a Bravo TV “Top Chef” contestant, as well as from the Food Network’s “Chefs vs. City”, Chef Stephen Hopcraft is the Executive Chef at STK in the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Leading the kitchen of “the sexiest steakhouse on the Strip” that averages hundreds of covers nightly, Chef Hopcraft’s culinary creations along with STK’s coveted “vibe dining” make the restaurant the place to see and be seen and keeps guests coming back for more.

Hopcraft credits the beginnings of his culinary journey to his mother’s adventurous cooking style when growing up in Shaker Heights, Ohio. By adding unique ingredients to staple Midwestern comfort dishes, she created artful yet familiar recipes that would become the basis for Hopcraft’s own approach as a chef. A serendipitous move to the California coast in 1988 led Hopcraft to meet Chef Thomas Vinolus, the proprietor of the Bittersweet Bistro. Becoming Hopcraft’s mentor, Vinolus inspired him to enroll in the prominent California Culinary Academy of San Francisco, where he further honed his skills in embellishing the delicious simplicity of classic dishes and fresh food.

Hopcraft’s talents were quickly recognized and he garnered an internship with Chicago’s renowned chef Charlie Trotter in 1994. From there Hopcraft went on to develop a friendship with highly-acclaimed chef Michael Mina, and worked for his restaurant group in many of Mina’s restaurants, including Aqua, Arcadia, StripSteak and SeaBlue. While working for Mina, Chef Hopcraft was able to truly develop within the culinary world and further push himself to create new and innovative flavor combinations.

Coming into The ONE Group family as the Executive Chef of STK Las Vegas upon its opening in 2010, Chef Hopcraft has brought his years of expertise to the forefront of the modern steakhouse and continues to maintain one of the busiest kitchens on the Las Vegas Strip. When he’s not in the kitchen, Chef Hopcraft enjoys a game of golf and spending time with his twin daughters

John Smolen was born and raised in the great state of Maryland. As a graduate from the University of Maryland, with degrees in both Finance and Accounting, John migrated to Las Vegas for a change in weather and work life balance. Upon arriving in Las Vegas, John and his brother Mark immediately noticed the lack of East Coast flavor and fresh seafood available. Leveraging their Maryland roots, where crab is king, they co-founded Nevada Seafood Distributors in 2008. That wholesale venture still focuses on importing live shellfish into Las Vegas daily.

As a natural progression, they started Crab Corner Maryland Seafood House in 2010. The original Crab Corner restaurant on Eastern Avenue was an instant hit. Crab Corner moved to its current expanded location on Rainbow Blvd in 2013. It offers the same great food, with a full bar and outdoor patio seating. While Mark has moved onto other ventures, John continues to operate both the wholesale business and restaurant. They remain family businesses with his wife Kelly (who is also from Maryland and met John at Crab Corner) and their two daughters, Sloane and Scarlett.