Yuliya Zmyzhova

Yuliya Zmyzhova Shamas, Lead Front of House Manager at Red Fish Grill, has been working for Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group for 16 years. Having worked at four different restaurants within the group, Yuliya quickly learned, developed well rounded skills, and grew within the company.

Yuliya arrived in America 17 years ago from Ukraine. Originally, she planned to visit America and improve her English, which she had been studying professionally in Ukraine. That goal turned into Yuliya getting her U.S. Citizenship 10 years later, an accomplishment that Yuliya is very proud of. With its endless opportunities and possibilities, the American Dream was impossible for Yuliya to resist. She is grateful for her two homelands and the role Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group has played throughout her journey.

First hired as a waitress at Bacco, Yuliya mastered food, beverage, and service skills and was chosen to train new hires. When Bacco closed, Yuliya was transferred to Red Fish Grill and worked as a Waitress/Developer for two and a half years before getting promoted to Manager for a year and a half. Once Ralph Brennan bought Brennan's Restaurant, she was asked to join the management team. Yuliya worked as a Manager at Brennan’s for two and a half years, mentoring several international employees from the Philippines, Bulgaria and Thailand. Feeling personally responsible for these employees, she was instrumental in creating a seamless, immersive personal experience to complement their professional growth.

Yuliya returned to Red Fish Grill in 2016, thriving on the new challenges each day presents her with. She enjoys the dynamic nature of the job, working with different people and being faced with unique tasks daily. Given her tenure with Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group, Yuliya speaks passionately about the company and is a tremendous advocate.

Yuliya is married to Brian Shamas, who she met at Red Fish Grill, and is the proud mother of Leila and stepmother to Liliana.