Joe Monastero has spent his life in hospitality, shaped first by the restaurant business and the people within it. Raised in his family’s Chicago restaurant, he built a career across restaurant operations, private events, culinary education, and nearly a decade of international higher education work that took him around the world and deeply shaped his perspective. He learned early that true hospitality is about taking care of people, solving problems with grace, doing the hard work that often goes unseen, and understanding the importance of relationships. In a business built on service, resilience, and connection, those lessons continue to guide the way he serves the industry today.

As Chief Revenue Officer of the Texas Restaurant Association, Joe works alongside colleagues, members, industry partners, and supporters to strengthen and sustain Texas’ restaurant community. Being a former operator, he brings a practical, personal perspective to the work and a deep respect for the people behind every restaurant. He is especially drawn to developing resources and solutions that create lasting value for the industry and the communities it serves.

Before joining TRA, Joe served as President and Executive Chef of his family’s 55-year-old Chicago Italian restaurant, launched Joseph S. Monastero Private Events, taught as an adjunct chef instructor, and helped expand access to hospitality education in the United States and abroad. He is especially proud of helping establish Les Roches Chicago, the first foreign university campus to open in the United States, bringing one of the world’s leading hospitality institutions within reach for American students; designing and producing the opening gala for the LGBT Center on Halsted, which raised more than $1.5 million to establish the organization’s endowment; and spearheading the launch of the TX Restaurant Relief Fund, which raised and distributed more than $3.5 million in grants to independent restaurant operators during the pandemic, helping keep Texas restaurant doors open and employees working.

Now based in Austin, Joe is proud to call Texas home and to serve an industry that helps define the culture, economy, and communities of the state. At TRA, he values the opportunity to help turn shared priorities into action in support of Texas restaurants. He is especially grateful for the colleagues, members, and partners who go above and beyond for the Association, the industry, and one another. That shared sense of purpose and the difference it can make for restaurants across Texas continue to guide his work.

Joe holds a B.B.A. in Marketing and International Business from Loyola University Chicago and an Executive MBA in Global Leadership from Walden University. He is a Trustee of the Catering Executives Club of America, where he previously served as Chairman and two-term President; Immediate Past Chairman of the Chicago Sister Cities International Milan Committee; and a member of the Les Amis d’Escoffier Society. In 2019, the Republic of Italy made Joe a Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia (OSI) in recognition of his efforts to support and promote Italian cuisine and culture.

He remains deeply grateful to serve the industry that first taught him the generosity and enduring power of hospitality.