nikki soro

Nikki’s interest in the food and beverage industry started at a very young age in Indiana. She was always drawn to restaurant life and vividly remembers bussing tables at her “Uncle Bill’s” restaurant before she was even in elementary school. Her experience in restaurants is extensive and incorporates every position within a working dining establishment. 

At the age of 21, she began working at a country/biker bar, where beers flung fast and cocktails were not very complex (insert jack and coke). That is where she gained her speed and confidence behind the bar. Next, she found herself at a multi-million dollar establishment, Piere’s Entertainment Center, that contained 5 bars under one roof where she bartended for national concerts and booming nightclubs. From here, she finally found her way into fine dining at Eddie Merlot’s Steaks and Seafood. This is where she began to fine tune her craft, making actual balanced cocktails with upscale flavor combinations. 

After 8 years in the bar industry, Nikki decided to take her life in a different direction. She applied to a masters program for Occupational Therapy and uprooted her life, moving across the country to California. Despite the long hours and grueling schooling, Nikki couldn’t stay away from the food and beverage industry. She obtained a serving job at Soro’s Grill to make extra money on the side and even bartended at night when the Soro family took over management of a nightclub called The Edge. (Fun fact: not only did Nikki get a job at Soro’s, but that is also where she met her amazing husband, Dylan 😀). 

Lots of life happened, and Dylan and Nikki eventually ended up in Las Vegas, where Nikki worked days as an Occupational Therapist for an inpatient rehab hospital and nights waiting tables at Wolfgang Puck’s Spago in Caesars Palace. When life happened again, Dylan and Nikki moved back to California. At this time, Nikki hung up her server apron and focused solely on her Occupational Therapy career, where she worked in pediatrics with children with special needs. This filled her soul like no other job had and she enjoyed every… single… second of it. Then, COVID… and everything changed again. The “Savage Chef” was born and when one thing led to another, she left her career to run the front of house and bar program for Savage Chef Bar & Grill. Nikki again feels so fulfilled in what she is doing behind the bar and for everything for the front of house. It all feels to have come full circle. 

Although bartending experience in California and Nevada has been limited, the restaurant experience Nikki gained and caliber of food she worked with has directly influenced her bartending style and flavor combinations. Her main goal with the bar program at Savage Chef is to create perfectly balanced cocktail experiences where guests order cocktails for their unique flavor combinations and enjoy spirits they would normally not order on their own. She is always pushing the envelope and has so much more to introduce to the Inland Empire!

In her spare time, Nikki loves to be with her kids (Saige 7 and Zander 6) and ride “bikes to nowhere in a dark room” at Rebel Murrieta. You can find her there with Dylan every weekday morning at 9:15 (for anyone who wants to experience the magic of Rebel with them).