Hotels and resorts across North America have named new leaders for their food and beverage operations in the past two weeks.
Baker's Cay Resort
Key Largo, Fla.-based Baker’s Cay Resort, Curio Collection by Hilton, a 15-acre property on the waterfront of Florida Keys Bay, appoints executive chef Carolann Wheeler. Wheeler oversees culinary operations for the 200-room property including banquets, special events, the resort’s signature restaurant Calusa, and beachside dining at Dry Rocks. Wheeler is in the process of revitalizing the resort’s rooftop garden to include fresh herbs, tomatoes, edible flowers, cucumbers and more. The new Chef’s Garden, slated to open in early 2025, will provide an enhanced garden-to-table taste for several dishes as she aims to seasonally refresh menus throughout the resort.
Wheeler has 18 years of experience ranging from executive chef positions within 4-star restaurants, hotels and private clubs to private personal chef positions for elite guests such as Billie Eilish and Steven Tyler.
Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa
Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Gainey Ranch, Scottsdale, Ariz., adds Jesse McDannell as executive chef. In his role, McDannell will oversee the dining experiences at the resort as it completes a $110 million renovation and transformation to a Grand Hyatt property.
After graduating summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in culinary arts from the Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College, McDannell began working with Hyatt in July 2006 as a corporate management trainee at Grand Hyatt DFW in Texas. He was quickly promoted to chef tournant at the Grand Hyatt San Antonio followed by executive sous chef at Grand Hyatt Buckhead in Atlanta. McDannell then went on to his first executive chef appointment at Hyatt Escala Lodge in Park City, Utah. McDannell has also served as executive chef at the Grand Hyatt Buckhead in Atlanta as well as the opening executive chef at the Grand Hyatt SFO.
Tetra Hotel & AC Hotel Sunnyvale Moffett Park
Tetra Hotel, an Autograph Collection Hotel, and AC Hotel Sunnyvale Moffett Park, name Paul Rohadfox as executive chef and Luis Munoz as director of food and beverage for the campus-style destination in Silicon Valley, Calif. Tetra Hotel and AC Hotel feature multiple food and beverage concepts. The team will be working closely to refresh menus across select concepts and will spearhead the launch of the catering program and in-room dining program for the 364-room destination. Opened in early 2022, Tetra Hotel and AC Hotel are managed by Evolution Hospitality, the lifestyle division of Aimbridge Hospitality.
After serving in the United States Marine Corps, Rohadfox enrolled in the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park, N.Y. to pursue a career in the hospitality industry. Career opportunities took him to the west coast, where he gained experience in executive chef positions at hotel properties from the San Francisco Bay Area to Silicon Valley to Palm Springs. He was part of the opening team for the revival of the historic Riviera Hotel in Palm Springs, the executive chef for Michael Mina’s former Arcadia Steakhouse at the Marriott San Jose, and most recently the executive chef of the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara.
Munoz brings nearly two decades of executive management and leadership experience to the Tetra Hotel and AC Hotel Sunnyvale Moffett Park team. His expertise in hospitality spans major Silicon Valley and Bay Area hotel destinations from IHG’s Crowne Plaza San Jose to the Hilton Hotel Burlingame, where he served as Director of Operations. He was the Complex Food & Beverage Director for the DoubleTree and upscale Juniper Hotel, a Curio Collection by Hilton property in Cupertino and most recently, the Complex Director of Food & Beverage for the Marriott San Mateo. Here he led a team of 12 managers and 110 staff employees in the food and beverage department and rooms division. His experience with large hotel properties set the stage for his transition to Tetra Hotel and AC Hotel Sunnyvale Moffett Park.
W San Francisco
W San Francisco appoints James McIver as executive chef. With more than 25 years of experience, McIver trained in Paris at the École Supérieure de Cuisine Française and worked with renowned chefs such as Alain Ducasse and Thomas Keller. In his new role, McIver is enhancing the hotel’s culinary program and menus for its catering and banquet facilities, in-room dining, Living Room Bar, and its signature restaurant, Trace.
Before his current role, McIver was executive chef at The Westin Los Angeles Airport. He was also part of the opening teams of The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay and Four Seasons San Francisco, and contributed to new beginnings at various Hilton Hotels restaurant openings. McIver attributes his formidable culinary foundation and formation to his experience cooking internationally, including in Paris, the South of France, Spain and Ontario, to name a few.