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Bader Ali is the new executive chef of the recently reopened Gerrard Street Kitchen at The Darcy hotel in Washington, D.C.
Most recently the executive chef of the Naples Grande Resort in Naples, Fla., Ali has spent 30 years in the industry, including as chef of hotels including Revere Hotel Boston Common in Boston New York Palace in New York City and Cheeca Lodge & Spa in Islamorada, Fla.
Drew Allen is the new chef de cuisine of Blue Duck Tavern at the Park Hyatt in Washington, D.C. He had previously worked at the restaurant in 2019 before opening Ruthie’s All-Day in Arlington, Va.
Previously, he worked for Grand Cru Hospitality in Portland, Ore., as chef de cuisine, and before that he worked for Volt Restaurant Group in Frederick, Md., as pastry sous chef on chef and restaurateur Bryan Voltaggio’s team.
Daniel Boulud, the New York City-based chef and restaurateur, has signed a deal with real estate development and investment firm SHVO to be the exclusive culinary partner for two recently announced Mandarin Oriental Residences, one in Beverly Hills, Calif., and one on Fifth Avenue in New York City, providing resident-only dining for both towers via an all-day service called Boulud Privé, available in their homes or in a private restaurant.
Boulud is pictured with SHVO chairman and CEO Michael Shvo.
Ines Chattas is the new culinary director of the UN Plaza Grill, a fine-dining kosher restaurant in New York City. She is the first woman and the first Jewish person to hold that position since the restaurant opened in 2017.
Originally from Argentina, Chattas was the owner of Open Kitchen in Miami as well as operator of two residential buildings in Bal Harbor, Fla.
Laurent Elmerich is the new executive chef of the Enchantment Resort in Sedona, Ariz., overseeing its restaurants Che Ah Chi and Tii Gavo.
Previously he was executive chef of the Ranch Bernardo Inn in San Diego and executive sous chef of the St. Regis Monarch beach in Dana Point, Calif.
Rob Grisham is the new executive chef of Fullerton Wine Bar & Tasting Room in Portland, Ore.
Most recently, Grisham worked at Thomas Keller’s The French Laundry in Yountville, Calif., where, among other things, he was a pasta maker.
A self-taught cook originally from Wisconsin, he cooked in the Madison, Wis., area for 15 years including seven years as executive chef of Brasserie V.
Yara Herrera is executive chef of Xilonen, a vegan restaurant in Brooklyn, N.Y. Originally from Los Angeles, she previously worked at Majordomo in Los Angeles and Momofuku Ko in New York City.
Celebrity chef and former Top Chef champion Hung Huynh has been tapped to head up AVA MediterrAgean in Winter Park, Fla.
Apart from his television appearances, Huynh is best known for heading up the Catch seafood concept in New York City, which has since expanded to six locations.
Jon Keeley is executive chef of Fire Restaurant & Lounge at The ART Hotel Denver. Originally from Boston, he worked at restaurants in the area including Aujourd-hui at the Four Seasons Hotel Boston and at Ken Oringer’s restaurant Toro, where he was chef de partie.
He went on to work as chef de cuisine at Bonsoiree in Chicago before joining the Ballyhoo Hospitality Group as executive chef of Gemini and Walton Street Kitchen, both in Chicago. Most recently he was culinary director of the Sand Valley Golf Resort in Nekoosa, Wis.
Mark LoRusso is the new executive chef of SW Steakhouse at the Wynn Las Vegas.
He first worked at that hotel as opening executive chef of Tableau restaurant and then at Botero at Costa di Mare, also at the Wynn.
Prior to joining that property, he was executive chef of Michael Mina’s Aqua at Bellagio. Previously he had worked with Mina as sous chef of Aqua’s San Francisco location.
Stefen Shatto is the new executive of Inn at the Pier, a seaside hotel in Pismo Beach, Calif.
He grew up on a farm in Iowa and attended Iowa Western Culinary School, working at restaurants in the area and elsewhere, eventually becoming executive chef of Il Vecchio in Rome, Italy.
Prior to joining Inn at the Pier he was chef of Citizen Hotel, in Sacramento, Calif.
Jeremy Shelton is the new executive chef of Verde restaurant, located in the Pérez Art Museum of Miami. The Florida native’s résumé includes stints at BLT Steak in Washington, D.C., Scarpetta and Macchialina in Miami Beach, Fla., and Steak 954 and OVLO Eats in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He graduated from the North Miami campus of Johnson & Wales University with a Bachelor of Science degree in foodservice management.
Whitney Wood, a self-taught cook who has worked at Hillstone, True Food Kitchen, The Hotel at Avalon and restaurants in the Buckhead Life Restaurant Group in the Atlanta area, has been named culinary director of Recess in Atlanta.
