At just 22 years old, Brianna Santiago is carving out her place in a male-dominated field as the new Executive Chef at Prime 3 on Main in downtown Leesburg. A graduate of The Villages Charter School’s culinary program, Brianna is no stranger to the kitchen. Her father, Louis Santiago, has been an executive chef in The Villages for over 15 years before starting his own company.

“I’ve always been a chef,” Brianna says. “I grew up with it. My dad’s a chef, so I’ve been around it my entire life.”

After high school, Brianna earned multiple accreditations through the American Culinary Federation and began working front-of-house in The Villages as a server and bartender. She later transitioned into The Show Kitchen, where she spent nearly a year before getting hired on as sous chef at Prime 3 in Leesburg. Just three months later, she was promoted to executive chef.

“At first, I thought everyone was going to make it hard for me because I was young and female,” she says. “But I came in, learned everything I could, and I’ve been managing ever since.”

With guidance from the previous executive chef and support from her father, Brianna says she’s embraced the challenge.

“I like a good challenge,” she says. “I’ve never been in this role before, but I’ve learned so much.”

In April, Brianna led the restaurant’s Caribbean-themed wine dinner, creating a five-course menu that paired with selections chosen by the restaurant’s level-3 sommelier. Prime 3 recently won the 2025 Wine Spectator of the Year award.

“I wrote the whole menu,” she says. “We started with a coconut curry shrimp ceviche, pigeon pea soup and a papaya and pineapple citrus salad. The entree was a tamarind-glazed red snapper, and we finished with a rum cake topped with banana foster.”

Brianna presented all five courses and is already planning her next wine dinner in October, which will feature flavors from Central, Middle and Eastern Europe.

While her long-term goal is to eventually become a personal chef, Brianna says she plans to stay at Prime 3 for a while and continue learning.

“I want to learn as much as possible,” she says. “This is what I love to do.”

Her mother, Danielle Santiago, is also no stranger to challenges. As owner of Ageless Beauty Med Spa, she has undergone her own personal transformation and health journey, and together with her husband, help others make those changes as well. With that kind of team backing her, Brianna is sure to succeed.

Photos provided by Brianna Santiago