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Alex Amorin has been promoted to executive chef from chef de cuisine of the Timbers Kaua‘i at Hōkūala on the Hawaiian island of Kaua‘I, overseeing its Hualani’s Restaurant. He was born, raised, and attended culinary school on that island. While attending Kaua‘I Community College he started working at Wrangler’s restaurant in Waimea. He spent 17 years working for TS Restaurants, specifically Duke’s Kalapaki and Keoki’s, before joining Timbers.
Nitin Bali is the new pastry chef of the JW Marriott Clearwater Beach Resort & Spa in Florida.
Originally from India, Bali has worked at luxury hotels across the country for more than a decade, including The Ritz-Carlton Hotel South Beach in Miami and The Langham Hotel and Ritz-Carlton in Chicago.
Cory Barberio has been promoted to executive chef and managing partner of the Shinola Hotel in Detroit. He has been at the hotel since 2018 when he started working at San Morello restaurant. He reached the position of chef de cuisine before taking on his new role.
Barberio has been with Andrew Carmellini’s NoHo Hospitality, which runs the hotel, since graduating from culinary school and joining the opening team of Locanda Verde in New York City.
Andrew Black is returning to the Skirvin Hotel in Oklahoma City to open its new restaurant, Perle Mesta.
The chef, who operates Grey Sweater, Black Walnut, and Gilded Acorn in that city, won this year’s James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef in the Southwest. He first worked at the Skirvin when it reopened in 2007.
Mike Bobb has been promoted to executive chef from executive sous chef of The Ballantyne Hotel in Charlotte, N.C., where he has worked since shortly after graduating from Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte. He started as chef de partie in 2011.
Ian Boden, chef and owner of The Shack in Staunton, Va., has joined The Tabard Inn in Washington, D.C., as culinary partner, training the team and updating the menus, which are now in place. The property is also launching brunch in October.
Chad Brauze is the new head of culinary at fast-casual salad chain Sweetgreen. Previously he was senior director of culinary innovation and sustainability at Burger King, and before that executive corporate chef and director of culinary menu development at Chipotle Mexican Grill.
Brauze also has fine-dining experience, having been chef de cuisine of the Park Hyatt hotel in New York City and executive chef of Rotisserie Georgette, also in New York.
Philip Bryant is the new director of culinary at Grove Bay Hospitality group in Miami where he has been charged with enhancing overall culinary operations at the company’s eight restaurants, starting with Mi’Talia Kitchen & Bar. He had been corporate chef of Ariete Hospitality, also in Miami, since 2018. He also was chef de cuisine of Yard Bird in Miami Beach and spent a number of years working in various capacities under chef Norman Van Aken.
Jack Bui has been promoted to executive chef from executive chef of the Ameswell Hotel in Mountain View, Calif. Previously she was executive chef of 2686 Kitchen in Ventura, Calif. She also worked at Porridge + Puffs in Los Angeles and considers chef and owner Minh Phan to be a mentor.
Cody Chassar has been promoted to chef de cuisine from sous chef of Gunshow in Atlanta. Prior to joining Gunshow he was sous chef at sister restaurant Cold Beer. His résumé also includes stints at Nashville culinary landmarks The Catbird Seat and Husk.
Damon Cundiff is the new executive chef of the Kimpton Overland Hotel in Atlanta, overseeing Apron restaurant and The Rooftop. Originally from South Carolina, the Air Force veteran has worked for ClubCorp golf clubs as well as Meehan’s Public House at Atlantic Station and Katerwerks Hospitality & Consulting in the Atlanta area. Most recently he worked for Bon Appétit at Savannah College of Art and Design.
Ned Elliott is the new executive chef of Hotel Emma at Pearl in San Antonio. Most recently he was executive culinary director at Proper Hospitality, which has 16 restaurants in Texas.
Joel Eugene is the new executive sous chef of the Ritz-Carlton, Boston, and also restaurant chef of its Artisan Bistro and Avery Bar. Most recently he was executive sous chef of the Marriott Newport in Rhode Island and before that he was senior banquet chef for the Marriott Boston Long Wharf.
Ford Fry, chef and owner of Atlanta-based Rocket Farms Restaurants, which operates 23 restaurants throughout the Southeast, is currently also the chef in residence at 1856 — Culinary Residence at The Tony & Libba Rane Culinary Science Center at the Auburn University Horst Schulze School of Hospitality Management. There he is overseeing students who prepare à la carte lunch service and a dinner tasting menu.
Jose Garces was recently appointed to the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, which was established in 1956 to help educate Americans regarding the benefits of physical activity and healthful eating. The Philadelphia-based restaurateur operates multiple restaurants in Philadelphia and Atlantic City, N.J., a cookbook author, the 2009 James Beard Foundation award winner for the best chef in the Mid-Atlantic and a philanthropist through his Garces Foundation.
Quentin Garcia has been named executive chef of the Thompson Palm Springs, which is slated to open in that California city in the first quarter of 2024.
Most recently he was the executive chef of Rainbird in Merced, Calif.
Andy Gaskin is the new executive chef of Rosewood Little Dix Bay on Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands. Most recently he had his own consulting firm and before that he was in Croatia as executive chef of the Meneghetti Wine Hotel in the town of Bale.
Korea, he developed an interest in cooking in Germany, where he was stationed while serving in the United States Army. He attended the California School of Culinary Arts in Pasadena, Calif., and then moved to New York where he worked at Aldea, The Clocktower, and Aureole at Home. He moved to Colorado in 2020 and before joining Oak he was the executive chef of Rioja in Denver.
Nicolas Houlbert is the new executive chef of Copper Grouse Restaurant & Bar at the Kimpton Taconic Hotel in Manchester, Vt.
Previously he worked at two Michelin star restaurants in Paris, Maison Mavrommatis and Ze Kitchen Galerie before moving to New York City and working at Bar Boulud and Epicerie Boulud. Most recently he worked as a consultant for several restaurants in New York and New Jersey.
Sebastian Huyhua is the new pastry chef of The St. Regis San Francisco. He has worked in the San Francisco pastry kitchens of Epic Steak and La Mar and also was pastry chef of The Meadows of Napa Valley in Napa, Calif. Most recently he managed the pastry team at Alexander’s Patisserie, with locations in Cupertino and Mountain View, Calif.
Shannon Johnson has rejoined the culinary team at Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar as vice president of culinary. He had previously worked at the chain from 2003 to 2012 and since then has held various positions at McDonald’s, Yum! Brands, and Disney’s California Adventure, among other jobs. The certified executive chef is a graduate from Johnson & Wales University.
Jennifer Kim is the new chef de cuisine at Proxi in Chicago, working alongside executive chef Andrew Zimmerman. Kim worked under David Posey at Blackbird while studying culinary arts at Kendall College, also in Chicago. That was followed by a summer in France working at Le Bistro des Saveurs in the French region of Alsace before returning to Chicago and working at Avec while also helping to open parent company One Off Hospitality’s Nico Osteria.
Luca Maita is the new executive chef of Lavo Ristorante in West Hollywood, Calif. Maita is from a fishing family in Catania, Sicily, in Italy and worked in local restaurants before joining the Italian army. He went on to work in restaurants in the United Kingdom and Australia before moving to the Los Angeles area to work at Nonna in Westlake Village and then 1212 in Santa Monica before joining Lavo.
Eric Marting has been named executive chef of the Fairmont San Francisco. He has worked for Fairmont hotels since 2010 when he joined its Dallas property as assistant sous chef. Most recently he was executive sous chef of the Fairmont Austin.
He worked for Omni Hotels before joining the Fairmont group.
Justin Miller has been promoted to executive chef of The Broadmoor hotel in Colorado Springs, Colo., where he has worked for the past 25 years. He was named chef de cuisine of the property’s La Tavern restaurant in 2001 and was made the hotel’s executive sous chef in 2017.
Michael O’Halloran has been named executive chef of Loch Bar in Philadelphia, which is slated to open in early October. The Philadelphia native worked his way up from dishwasher and busboy to executive chef of The White Dog Café and Stella in New Hope, Pa. He also had his own restaurant, Bistro 7, in Philadelphia. He also competed in and won on the Food Network series “Beat Bobby Flay.”
Michael Paley has been named executive steakhouse chef of Prime 54 at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach. Most recently Paley was executive chef of award-winning Klaw restaurant. He also was executive chef of Amara at Paraiso in Miami and of the South Congress Hotel and Hotel Ella in Austin, Texas. He also led several projects at the 21C Museum Hotels as executive chef and managing partner.
Nick Pallome is the new culinary director of Back of the House restaurant group in San Francisco, leading the kitchens of Mano, Corzetti, and The Tailor’s Son. Previous jobs including chef de cuisine of Cockscomb and Tosca Café and executive chef of Outerlands and BarZotto, all in San Francisco.
Andrea Paulino has been promoted to chef de cuisine from executive sous chef of Epicurean Hotel in Tampa. Originally from Morelia, Mexico, she has cooked in that country as well as in Toronto, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates. Prior to joining the Epicurean she worked at Banyan Tree Ras Al Khaimah in Dubai, UAE.
Charles Pejeau is the new culinary director of Leffew Restaurant Group in Hilton Head, S.C., overseeing the food at Lucky Rooster Kitchen + Bar and the new Lucky Beach Bar + Kitchen. The Hilton Head native most recently was executive chef of the Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort, also in Hilton Head, and before that was executive chef of Charbar Co., and Holy Tequila in the same town.
Jordan Pilarski is the new executive pastry chef of the Ojai Valley Inn in Ojai, Calif. Most recently known for winning the pastry episode of the second season of “Alex vs. America,” on the Food Network, he spent five years in the pastry kitchens of the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island in Florida and the Ritz-Carlton, Bacara in Santa Barbara, Calif., before joining Alessia Patisserie and Café, also in Santa Barbara, and then joining the Ojai property.
Angie Ragan has been named the exclusive catering and banquet chef for Cotton Court hotel in Lubbock, Texas. She runs her own catering business and is best known for her appearance on the first season of Gordon Ramsay’s Next Level Chef on the Fox network.
Ronald Reda is the new executive chef of The Williams Inn in Williamstown, Mass. He has been working in the Berkshires for a number of years at venues including Kemble Inn, Table Six, Hotel On North, and Gateways Inn Restaurant. He also spent five years in the 1990s as a chef and kitchen supervisor at the White House.
Senaida Rodriguez is the new executive chef of the Lone Star Court hotel in Austin, Texas. The Texas native most recently was sous chef of the Cotton Court hotel in Lubbock, Texas. Her back ground also includes work on Norwegian Cruise Line and executive chef of Duke’s, a fine-dining restaurant in Bluff, Utah.
Stefen Shatto is the new executive chef of the Hotel Paradox in Santa Cruz, Calif. He was born in Santa Cruz, raised on a farm in Iowa, and trained in Italy. His most recent hotel position was executive chef of Inn at the Pier in Pismo Beach, Calif. He also has worked at Grange Restaurant & Bar at The Citizen Hotel in Sacramento, Calif., and Schooners at Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa in Monterey, Calif.
Kim Skarstrom is chef de cuisine of the Tempo by Hilton Times Square hotel in New York City. Most recently he was chef de cuisine of the Four Seasons Hotel, also in New York.
Nikki Takamatsu has been promoted executive chef from sous chef of The LookOut Food & Drink at The LineUp at Wai Kai, a recreational venue in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, on the island of Oahu. Before joining that property he held various positions at Roy’s in Ko Olina, also in western Oahu, and Restaurant 604 in Honolulu.
Ana Torrealba is the new chef de cuisine of El Naranjo in Austin, Texas. She is the daughter of chef and owner Iliana de la Vega (with whom she is pictured) and partner Ernesto Torrealba.
The new chef graduated from The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., with an associate’s degree in baking and pastry and then became the pastry chef at her family’s restaurant and local bakeries before her latest promotion.
