Hotels and resorts across North America have named new leaders for their food and beverage operations in the past few weeks.
Alisal Ranch
Alisal Ranch, a dude ranch in the Santa Ynez Valley, Calif., has appointed Erik Sandven to executive chef, overseeing the resort’s culinary program across its onsite dining destinations, including The Ranch Room and Creekside, The Ranch Course Grill & Golf Lounge, The Grill at Alisal River Course and Chuckwagon Grill.
Sandven has worked and led the kitchens of hotels and resorts throughout Southern California. He began his culinary career in 2011 as a line cook at RAYA at The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, climbing the ranks to become the hotel’s saucier and then sous chef. Six years later, he went to another Orange County luxury hotel, The Resort at Pelican Hill, as the sous chef in their restaurants Pelican Grill and Andrea, before being promoted to chef de cuisine at the Coliseum restaurant. In 2021, Sandven was recruited by The Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara to be their banquet chef, during which he oversaw all banquet culinary functions and operations, the Club Lounge and the Obar Kitchen.
Balfour Hotel Miami Beach
The Balfour Hotel Miami Beach, a historic art deco property with 82 guestrooms and suites managed by Highgate, appointed Antony Awak as chef de duisine and Alberto Montesino as lead mixologist.
Raised in Venezuela, Awak has worked at multiple luxury hotels and restaurants. Most recently, he was senior sous chef at Groot Hospitality and Highgate hotels in Miami Beach. Before that, Awak was with The Confidante Hotel in Miami Beach in April 2019 where he orchestrated food preparation, managed line coordination and trained staff.
Born and raised in Havana, Montesino studied in tourism at the Official School of Tourism in the Canary Islands, Spain. His proficiency in mixology results from working in the hospitality and tourism industries beginning in the Canary Islands at the Gran Hotel Bahia del Duque in Tenerife.
Cape Rey Carlsbad Beach
Cape Rey Carlsbad Beach, a Hilton Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif., added several new members to its culinary team including John Hart as executive chef, Joshua Vinyard as executive sous chef, Thomas Elg as chef de cuisine and Jean Marie Verhoeven as pastry chef.
Hart joined the Cape Rey Carlsbad Beach team after more than six years at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. Prior experience includes leadership roles at properties including Westin Savannah Hotel & Golf Resort, Westin San Francisco Market Street, Sheraton Seattle, Marriott Louisville, Westin Long Beach, Westin Century Plaza, Beverly Hills Hotel and Miramar Hotel Santa Monica.
Vinyard brings more than a decade of experience to his new role. Most recently, he was the executive sous chef at Mission Hotel’s Michelin Star restaurant, Valle, in Oceanside, Calif. Before his tenure at Valle, he was the sous Cchef at JC Resorts, culinary supervisor at Wally’s Beverly Hills and chef de cuisine at Capital Hotel and Ashley’s Restaurant in Little Rock, Ark.
A Carlsbad, Calif., native, Elg has worked in the culinary industry for three decades. After beginning his culinary career in Anchorage, Alaska, at restaurants including Simon and Seaforts, the Glacier Brew House and the Regal Alaskan Hotel, Elg returned to Carlsbad and held kitchen manager roles at local favorites including the Carlsbad Brewery and Public House, Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, Jake’s Del Mar and The Westin Carlsbad Resort & Spa.
Born and raised in Belgium, Verhoeven has more than 50 years of experience as a pastry chef. He trained at Roger Verger, a three-Michelin-Star restaurant, and worked with chef James Boyce for three years. In addition to learning from chocolatier Jacque Torres, Verhoeven was the pastry chef at Rancho Valencia Resort and the five-star restaurant, Mary Elaine.
Crescent Hotel
The Crescent Hotel, Fort Worth, added Joel Treviño Teddlie as the new wine sommelier for the hotel’s on-property dining venues, Emilia’s and The Blue Room. Before joining The Crescent Hotel, Teddlie was the manager and wine director at Bistro Jeanty in Yountville, Calif. Before that, he was a sommelier at Bouchon Bistro, also in Yountville. Teddlie holds wine credentials, including the WSET Level 3 Award in Wines, which he passed with merit in San Francisco.
Hotel Forty Five
Hotel Forty Five promoted Mary Orozco to food and beverage manager at the downtown Macon, Ga., boutique hotel. She will oversee food and beverage operations across all culinary outlets, including the hotel’s signature restaurant Loom, its sixth-floor Hightales Rooftop Bar, and the Reckon Coffee & Wine Bar. Orozco’s responsibilities will also include managing the property’s culinary staff and collaborating directly with executive chef Matt Schleis.
Orozco, who previously was assistant food and beverage manager at Hotel Forty Five, has almost a decade of experience in the culinary and hospitality industry. Her career has spanned fine dining, casual dining and hospitality management. Most recently, Orozco was a certified trainer at Slater Hospitality, managing all employee training and coaching.
Merriweather Lakehouse Hotel
Merriweather Lakehouse Hotel, Columbia, Md., added Corey Laub as executive chef. Laub will create new menus at Lāk Restaurant and Rookery Bar and an upscale, food- and cocktail-centric daily happy hour.
Laub developed his skills and philosophies in kitchens throughout the District of Columbia and Baltimore holding executive chef positions in Chicago before returning home.
Mission Resort + Club
Mission Resort + Club, an MMI Hospitality Group property in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla., named David Mudge as its new food & beverage director. Mudge joins the resort with extensive knowledge of both front and back-of-house operations across restaurants, banquet facilities and resorts.
Mudge attended the Walt Disney World Culinary Apprenticeship Program, a three-year culinary program consisting of classroom studies and rotations in various Walt Disney Restaurants, from 1993 to 1996. He graduated at the top of the program’s class, and would go on to work another 10 years with Walt Disney Company. Most recently, Mudge was executive chef for Sodexo at Waterman Village Retirement Community in Mount Dora, Fla.
The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island
The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, Fla., appointed Collin Thornton as director of food and beverage. Thornton will lead all food and beverage operations across all seven dining outlets, overseeing culinary programming and events.
Thornton has more than 18 years of experience in the food and beverage sector, working with Fairmont Hotels & Resorts and St. Regis Hotels & Resorts as executive chef. Most recently, he was the regional director of food and beverage at Big Cedar Lodge, Bass Pro Shops, in Branson, Mo.
TradeWinds Island Resorts
The TradeWinds Island Resorts—the Island Grand Resort and RumFish Beach Resort—on the island of St. Pete Beach, Fla., named Armando Monterroso as vice president of food and beverage. A member of the executive team, Monterroso is responsible for business strategies for all dining outlets at the two properties, including RumFish Grill.
Monterroso was most recently vice president of food and beverage for Playa Hotels & Resorts’ collection of 24 resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean, collectively housing as many as eight restaurants and bars per property. Monterroso has also worked as corporate director of food and beverage for the Kalahari Resorts & Conventions in the Wisconsin Dells; director of culinary operations for Gaylord Opryland Hotel & Convention Center in Nashville; and executive chef at the Marriott Marquis in New York City.
Windsor Court
The Windsor Court, New Orleans, promoted Haley Kennel to director of catering and conference services, where she will oversee all catering and conference planning at The Windsor Court.
Kennel joined The Windsor Court five years ago with experience as the corporate sales/events manager in event planning.