Hotels and resorts across the U.S. have appointed new food and beverage leaders over the past two weeks.
Conrad Washington, D.C.
Conrad Washington, D.C. appoints Arturo Elias as the new chef de cuisine at Estuary Restaurant. Elias brings over a decade of experience from prestigious roles at five-star establishments including The Hay-Adams Hotel and Sea Island Resort. He joins the Conrad Washington, D.C. team from The Hay-Adams Hotel, where he served as chef de cuisine of the property’s signature restaurant, Lafayette. His culinary experience also includes a nine-year tenure at the Sea Island Resort in Georgia’s Golden Isles.
Conrad Washington, D.C. also recently enhanced its culinary leadership with the appointment of Elmer Stunkel as the new director of food and beverage and Martin Krausbeck as the director of restaurants.
Deer Path Inn
Deer Path Inn, Lake Forest, Ill, names Jeff Vucko as its new executive chef, charged with overseeing the culinary programs at popular restaurants The English Room, White Hart Pub, and The Bar.
His professional culinary journey began in 2011 when he studied at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Chicago following a career as an insurance broker. Upon graduating, he entered the hospitality industry as a line cook at Wit Hotel’s Cibo Matto before moving to The Pump Room in the former Public Hotel. In 2013, he opened The Langham, Chicago under chef Tim Graham and steadily moved his way up to chef de cuisine of Travelle. In 2021, he entered his first executive chef role at Pendry Chicago, where he oversaw all culinary operations within the property.
Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve
Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve hotel in Puerto Rico, adds new team members to lead its culinary program. Christian Clair is director of food and beverage, Roberto Picado is director of beverage and Sagar Gaikwad is executive sous chef.
Clair’s career began in premier kitchens as executive chef. Clair led the culinary opening of Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, as the property transitioned to be the first Ritz-Carlton Reserve in North America. His professional ascent continued as he assumed the role of director of food and beverage at the Vinoy Hotel Autograph Collection. With over 16 years of experience in the Marriott International portfolio, Clair most recently oversaw St. Regis Bal Harbour as the director of food and beverage.
Picado brings over 15 years of experience and a passion for oenology to his role as director of beverage. After working as lead bartender and sommelier across luxury hospitality concepts, Picado joined Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve as food and beverage supervisor in 2021.
Gaikwad’s Marriott International career began in 2007 as demi chef at Sharq Village and Spa, a Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Doha, Qatar. He has held several roles such as chef de partie, sous chef, chef de cuisine and commis chef across various Ritz-Carlton hotels.
Grande Lakes Orlando
Grande Lakes Orlando, the 500-acre luxury resort with by The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes and JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes, adds Graeme Little as its new executive chef. Little brings with him nearly 20 years of culinary expertise.
Little joins JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes from the Fairmont Austin in Texas, where he has served as executive chef since December 2021. Prior to that role, Little held several key positions at Fairmont Austin, including executive sous chef and senior banquet chef. His culinary journey also included roles at Fairmont Royal York in Toronto and Fairmont Pacific Rim in Vancouver.
Halekulani
Halekulani, Honolulu, appoints Nassim Bounoua to executive pastry chef. With over 15 years of global culinary expertise, Bounoua most recently served as executive pastry chef at The Global Ambassador Hotel in Phoenix. Prior to that, he worked at several renowned hotels and restaurants throughout France and the United States, including Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat and Ourea in Marseille.
During his time at Amangiri Resort in Utah, Bounoua developed original desserts inspired by the Navajo Nation and spearheaded a culinary collaboration with BVLGARI’s new perfume collection.
Inverness Denver, a Hilton Golf & Spa Resort
The Inverness Denver, a Hilton Golf & Spa Resort, part of the Crescent Hotels & Resorts collection in Denver, names Daniel Daughtry food and beverage director.
Overseeing The Inverness Denver’s food and beverage operations, Daughtry is tasked with enhancing all aspects of the property’s food and beverage service including the popular Breckenridge Brewery, Ale & Game House, Fireside Bar & Grill, The Garden Terrace, Splash Pool Bar, in-room dining and more. Daughtry joins The Inverness from Kona Village, a Rosewood Resort in Kona, Hawaii, where he served as the property’s director of food and beverage. Throughout his career, has held leadership roles at luxury resorts and hotels throughout North America, the Hawaiian Islands, Micronesia and Bermuda.
Meritage Resort & Spa
The Meritage Resort & Spa, Napa Valley, Calif., introduces Cary Roy as the inaugural executive chef of the property’s new fine dining experience, Ember Steak. An inspired veteran with over two decades of culinary expertise, Roy has served in pivotal roles such as executive sous chef at Cheeca Lodge and Spa in Islamorada, Fla., and chef de cuisine at Hyatt Regency Phoenix. Most recently, he lead at Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa in Hawaii.
The Meritage Resort & Spa just debuted its $25 million renovation in April. Ember Steak was an essential component of the resort’s reimagination and is positioned to be the new crowning jewel of its acclaimed and award-winning food and beverage program, along with its complementary neighboring bubbles tasting room, Sora Napa.
Montage Kapalua Bay
Maui-based Montage Kapalua Bay has two key culinary appointments: Behdad Ghofrani as director of food and beverage and Justin Purpura as executive chef. With several decades of hospitality experience between them, both Ghofrani and Purpura will play key roles in enhancing the resort’s overall food and beverage offerings for guests of the beachfront resort. The duo will also be tasked with managing menu creation and dining services for four restaurants, signature and in-residence dining experiences, and banqueting for weddings, meetings and social gatherings.
With three decades of management experience Ghofrani joins the team at Montage Kapalua Bay after spending seven years at Marriott International, where he oversaw food and beverage operations at various properties including the Miami Beach Edition as well as the AC Downtown Los Angeles and Moxy Downtown Los Angeles. Ghofrani has held leadership positions in food and beverage operations at multiple properties, including Mesén Sabika in Chicago, Hiltons in Chicago and San Francisco, Marina Del Rey Hotel in California, InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown, and The Miami Beach Edition.
Returning to Hawaii for the first time in five years, Purpura joins Montage Kapalua Bay from The Ritz-Carlton Bacara in Santa Barbara, Calif. where he spent three years as executive sous chef. Previously, Purpura held positions as executive sous chef and chef de cuisine at Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts for 17 years, honing his culinary expertise across a range of dining outlets at properties across the U.S., including Four Seasons Resort Hualalai in Kailua-Kona, Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea in Kihei, and other resorts within the portfolio.
Omni PGA Frisco Resort
Trick Rider, the fine-dining destination located inside Omni PGA Frisco Resort, has named Joe Riojas as its new executive chef. Riojas brings more than a decade of fine-dining expertise to the restaurant.
Riojas trained in Houston’s Uchi, the acclaimed contemporary Japanese and sushi restaurant created by chef Tyson Cole. Following that, he served as sous chef at Zaytinya, José Andres’ Mediterranean restaurant in Frisco. Most recently, he served as executive sous chef for Carbone in Dallas.
Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis
The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis appoints Vadim Morozov to the role of executive assistant manager of food, beverage and culinary. Morozov, a seasoned hospitality professional with over a decade of luxury experience, will oversee all culinary and beverage programs.
Morozov has held positions within The Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis hotel brands. In his most recent role as director of restaurants and bars at The St. Regis Washington, D.C., Morozov’s operational expertise successfully relaunched the hotel’s signature restaurant in 2023. Before his tenure at The St. Regis Washington, D.C., Morozov held roles such as food and beverage operations manager at The Ritz-Carlton, Bal Harbour, Miami; food and beverage manager at The St. Regis New York; and banquet operations manager at The Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C.
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel appoints Chandra Swamy as the property’s new executive chef. Swamy has a culinary career spanning more than 28 years.
Born in India and a graduate of the Institute of Hotel Management Bangalore in 1995, Swamy began his career at the Krishna Oberoi Hotel in Hyderabad. He joined Marriott International in 2006, and led properties in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia, Guyana.
St. Regis Longboat Key Resort
The St. Regis Longboat Key Resort, the only St. Regis launching in the U.S. this year, introduces two leadership appointments to the culinary team, Food and Beverage Director Melih Eker and Executive Chef Alberto Taboada. Together, they will helm the resort's seven distinctive dining venues.
Taboada began as restaurant chef at the Marriott Seaview Resort & Spa and includes leadership roles at Marriott Louisville Downtown and JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes. Notably, at JW Marriott Orlando, Taboada oversaw culinary operations for a 900-room luxury resort, emphasizing concept development, leadership and guest service excellence.
Eker most recently was director of food and beverage at The Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, where he managed outlet operations, orchestrated special events and consistently achieved substantial revenue goals.
Statler, a Curio Collection by Hilton
Marcelus Cordeiro has been named executive chef at The Statler, a Curio Collection by Hilton hotel managed by Aimbridge Hospitality in Dallas. Cordeiro will oversee the dine-and-drink establishments at The Statler, including Overeasy, Scout, Bourbon & Banter and Waterproof and the hotel’s room-service and catering operations.
Cordeiro comes to The Statler with more than a decade of experience leading large institutions’ kitchens, most recently as chef-manager at the University of North Texas in Denton. His hotel experience includes stints as executive chef at the Marriott Hotel & Golf Club at Champions Circle in Fort Worth and as sous chef at the Gaylord Texan Resort in Grapevine. Cordeiro also served as sous chef at Centerplate Event Venue Catering & Hospitality Services in downtown Dallas, an experience that will benefit the guests at The Statler’s many events.
Tempo by Hilton Nashville Downtown
Tempo by Hilton Nashville Downtown adds Lindsay Whalen as director of food and beverage hailing from past positions with Noelle Nashville, Hilton Downtown and Hilton Green Hills. In this position, Whalen will be managing all aspects of food and beverage operations on property including overseeing menu planning, cost analysis, purchasing, inventory management and staffing within all on-site concepts.
Additionally, joining Whalen is executive chef Jason Lawson, who was born and raised in Nashville and brings over a decade of experience within the hospitality industry to Tempo by Hilton Nashville Downtown. Lawson oversees the back-of-the-house operations as well as the creation of new menu items that represent the best of Nashville cuisine.
Viewline Resort Snowmass
Viewline Resort Snowmass, an Autograph Collection Hotel in Colorado’s Snowmass Village, appoints executive chef Marc Boussarie. Boussarie oversees culinary operations for the 254-room property including banquets, special events and the resort’s signature restaurant, Stark’s Alpine Grill.
Boussarie spent a decade in Jackson, Wy., in leadership roles as executive chef at Wort Hotel and The Whistling Grisly at The Wyoming. Most recently, Boussarie served as executive chef at Snow King Resort for over a year. Prior to his time in Wyoming, Boussarie spent 21 years in California in high-level culinary and corporate positions throughout San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin
The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin appoints Greg Sherman director of food and beverage. He will oversee the complex’s food and beverage operation, comprised of 23 outlets. Sherman brings over 25 years of food and beverage experience, with roles including executive chef, general manager, regional general manager and director of training and development. In 2014, he joined Rosa Mexicano as general manager.
As COO, Sherman was responsible for restaurant, beverage and culinary operations, private dining and sales, marketing, IT, finance, human resources and training and development.
Westin Hapuna Beach Resort
The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort, Kohala Coast, Hawaii, appoints Reyn Nishizuka as the new chef de cuisine for Meridia. Nishizuka brings with him 15 years of extensive culinary experience and a passion for creating exceptional dining experiences.
Nishizuka's culinary journey includes the Chinese, French, Italian, Thai, Japanese, and Mediterranean/Fusion cuisines. His career also includes curating private events for A-list celebrities like President Obama and his family, David Spade, Justin Bieber, Boa Kwon, Jason Momoa, and Kealii Rachel, reflecting his ability to cater to the most discerning palates. These invaluable experiences have shaped Nishizuka's unique approach to cooking, allowing him to deliver innovative and flavorful dishes.