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Paul Ferzacca, a native of Chicago, entered Kendall College in Illinois with dreams of a career in architecture. A love of food and a curiosity about cooking tempted him into taking a culinary class, and, as they say, the rest is history. Following his graduation with a degree in Culinary Arts, Chef Ferzacca pursued his career with stints in some of Chicago’s most prestigious kitchens, including Spaggia, The Ritz Carlton Hotel, The Hotel Intercontinental, and The Racquet Club of Chicago.

In 1991, his career took a new direction when he was recruited by George Gillette, then the owner of Vail Resorts, to be the executive chef at the new Two Elk Restaurant on Vail Mountain. Cooking at an elevation of 11,200 feet was a challenge, but one that Chef Ferzacca soon mastered. He transformed on mountain dining in the ski industry by offering high quality food to 4000 – 6000 skiers each day, a concept not considered possible by the old guard of resort management. His efforts were rewarded with rave reviews from the culinary press in distinguished publications such as Bon Appetit, Cooking Light, Gourmet, Ski, Snow Country, Nations Restaurant News, and The Rocky Mountain News, to name a few.

1995 brought a new challenge for Chef Ferzacca when he was picked to head the team that opened the exclusive Game Creek Club on Vail Mountain. The fine dining chalet is available to members for elegant lunches during the ski season, and to the world for an exquisite multi-course, prix-fixed dinner at night. His talent was soon recognized outside of the ski world, and culminated in an invitation to cook at the James Beard House in New York City, an honor extended to the most promising rising stars in the culinary arts. In addition to fulfilling his duties to Vail Resorts, he also found time to be an adjunct chef instructor at the Vail campus of Johnson and Wales University.

In 1998, Paul and his wife Lourdes fulfilled their dream by purchasing La Tour Restaurant in Vail Village. Together they have turned this landmark into one of the most elegant yet trendy restaurants in the Vail Valley. The use of regional American products has allowed Chef Ferzacca to add a lighter and more contemporary twist to his menu, while at the same time maintaining the traditional French cornerstones of classic cuisine. He has overseen a significant upgrading of La Tour’s wine list, which has been recognized with a “Best of Award of Excellence” by Wine Spectator magazine for the past six consecutive years. Chef Ferzacca’s efforts have continued to garnish praise from both national and local critics. In addition to accolades from The New York Times and The Denver Post, La Tour has been popular with Vail Valley publications and residents. The Vail Daily’s readers’ poll named La Tour “Best French restaurant in Vail Valley” and “Best food regardless of price”, as well as citing the restaurant for “Amazing restaurant service”.

Chef Ferzacca has placed a great deal of importance on volunteering his time and skills to the community and the food and restaurant industry. He has been named as a “Distinguished Visiting Chef” at Johnson and Wales University in Denver, the first Colorado chef to receive this honor. He has been a Mentor chef for Battle Mountain High School students participating in the Pro Start restaurant management and cooking program, helping them to win the state title six out of eight years he has mentored and taking first place in the National competition, second place twice, fourth place once and fifth place once. His students have earned over $3.5 Million Dollars in scholarship money as a result of his guidance. He also finds time to serve on the executive committee for the Taste of Vail, the internationally acclaimed food and wine festival held in Vail each April. In addition, he has been the feature chef at the Chesapeake Bay Wine Festival, Mexico’s Puerto Vallarta Gastronomic Festival, and The Taste of Vail.

Paul enjoys an active lifestyle in Vail with his wife Lourdes, son JonPaul and Luca, and daughters Nina and Olivia.