Michael Zislis

A visionary entrepreneur, restaurateur, hotelier, and philanthropist, Michael Zislis has dazzled consumers with a series of well-loved and highly successful establishments. It all began when he brewed his first beer for a school “science experiment” at the age of 13. By the time he was a student at USC, he had become a master brewer. In the late ‘80s, Michael opened Manhattan Beach Brewing Company, one of the first brewpubs on California’s fledgling pub scene. Soon thereafter, he opened several other pubs up and down the coast, revealing a penchant for staying ahead of the curve on the craft beer scene, restaurant operations, and expansionism that he has carried with him into Rock & Brews. Over the last 20 years, Michael has been responsible for introducing an impressive collection of successful restaurant concepts, ranging from brewpubs to fine dining establishments. In 2004, Michael transformed an urban revitalization project in Manhattan Beach into the area’s first and only luxury boutique hotel, Shade, recently named one of the Top 25 Trendiest Hotels in the U.S. by TripAdvisor, as well as being listed as Conde Nast Traveler’s #6 reason to visit Los Angeles. He is currently developing his second Shade Hotel with several others on the drawing board.