David Belknap has been promoted to area executive chef for Ohio of Shaner Hotels. He joined the company in 2017 and most recently was executive chef of the AC Hotel Columbus Dublin in Dublin, Ohio.

John Beriker is the new executive chef of the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. He got his start after culinary school at Spago in Hollywood, Calif., and then worked at the Swissotel Merchant Court in Sydney, Australia, followed by stints at the Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten in Hamburg, Germany. He also has owned his own restaurants and wrote the cookbook for the Inn at Rancho Santa Fe in California. Before taking up his current position he spent the past few years working at restaurants in Thailand, Guam, and Singapore.

Josh Black is the new executive chef of Alba at the River Terrace Inn in Napa, Calif. He has worked extensively overseas and earned sommelier certification in New Zealand. He ran his own cocktail bar, Bridges & Bourbon, in Pittsburgh, and then was executive banquet chef for Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants. Before joining Alba, he was Kimpton’s “task force executive chef.”

April Bloomfield, who exited the restaurant industry following accusations that her business partner Ken Friedman and others engaged in sexual misconduct at The Spotted Pig in New York City, will open a restaurant in Brooklyn with restaurateur Gabriel Stulman, according to an Instagram post from the operator. Details have yet to be forthcoming.

Billy Boyle is area executive chef of two hotels in his hometown of Memphis, Tenn.: Caption by Hyatt Beale Street Memphis and Hyatt Centric Beale Street Memphis. His résumé includes stints as executive chef of The Madeline Resort and Spa in Telluride, Colo., Marigot Bay Resort and Marina on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia, and The James Royal Palm in Miami Beach. Fla., among others. Most recently he was executive chef and research & development team leader for Wonder Foods based in Maspeth, N.Y.

Brian Brindza is the new director of culinary & menu innovation at Whitewater, Wis.-based chain Toppers Pizza.

Previous jobs have included director of culinary innovation for marketing agency The Food Group and associate director for culinary innovation at CSSI marketing & culinary.

Chris Buffin is the new regional executive chef of Atlanta-based catering company Proof of the Pudding. After culinary school at the Art Institute of California, the San Diego native worked at local restaurants and country clubs before moving to Atlanta to be executive chef of Emory University. He then founded his own company, Swell Cuts, offering services including private chef experiences, knife sharpening, burger pop-ups, and custom woodwork before joining Proof of the Pudding.

Benjamin Clement is new pastry chef of LPM Restaurant & Bar in Miami. Born and raised in France, he studied food, baking, and pastry at the Lycée Hôtelier Les Petites Bruyères in Saint-Chamond, France, as well as chocolate at the Centre de Formation d’Apprentis du Roannais in Mably, France. He went on to work at Maison Troisgros in Roanne, France, working his way up from commis pâtisserie to chef de partie pâtisserie. He then was sous chef patisserie at Flocons de Sel in Megève, France, and held that same position at Beau-Rivage Palace Lausanne in Switzerland. He then went on to be head pastry chef of The Connaught in London and then headed up the pastry team at Hélène Darroze in Mont-de-Marsane, France, before joining LPM.

Steve Garza, pictured to the left of chef-owner Troy Guard, is the new executive chef of Guard & Grace in Denver and Ryan Walker, on the right, is its new pastry chef.

Garza most recently was an executive chef of Fox Restaurant Concepts, based in Phoenix, Ariz., but he also has worked in Chicago, New York, and, in Asia, for Maximal Concepts and S&S Hospitality.

Walker has worked for Guard in Denver previously, but he also spent three years in New York City at Eleven Madison Park and the NoMad Hotel. He also has worked at Attica in the Melbourne, Australia, suburb of Ripponlea, and in Vail, Colo., at Sweet Basil and Mountain Standard.

Doug Gerpheide is chef de cuisine of Wood.ash.rye at The Advenire, Autograph Collection Hotel in St. George, Utah. Previously he was executive chef of the Movara Fitness Resort in Ivins, Utah. Before that he was opening executive chef of The Rim Restaurant in Burleson, Texas.

William Gideon is the new executive chef of the JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort & Spa in Aventura, Fla. Most recently he was executive chef of Live! Casino & Hotel in Washington, D.C., he also was executive chef at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa, Fla.

Laurent Hollaender is the new executive chef of Härth Restaurant at the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner in Virginia. Most recently he was executive chef of Kimpton Banneker in Washington, D.C., but he also has run the kitchens of the Grand Bohemian Hotel Orlando, Hotel Lombardy D.C., and the National Democratic Club, also in D.C. A native of Strasbourg, France, he studied at Shg Strasboug international hospitality and business school and comes from a family of chefs.

Ben Jaffe is the new head chef of Powder Mountain, a ski and mountain bike park resort in Eden, Utah, where the chef has been skiing since he was young.

He studied at the International Culinary Center in New York City and then worked at Loring Place in New York under chef Dan Kluger. He moved to Utah during the pandemic and ran private events and also catered for Powder Mountain residents, which eventually became a full-time job.

Kishen Jagmohan is the new chef de cuisine of Market Table in New York City. Originally from Guyana, and a graduate of Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I.., Jagmohan most recently was chef de cuisine of Nat’s on Bleecker, also in New York. Before that he spent many years as chef de cuisine of Boston fine-dining restaurant Deuxave.

Eli Kaimeh has been named senior culinary director of the Tavistock Restaurant Collection, based in Orlando. Kaimeh spent 13 years working for Thomas Keller’s restaurants, including a stint as chef de cuisine of Per Se in New York City. Most recently he was executive chef of WS Wine Spectator, also in New York.

Dan Kennedy (pictured to the right of managing chef Todd Duplechan) is the new chef at Vixen’s Wedding in Austin, Texas. Past experience includes working for celebrity chefs Ludovic Lefebvre and Michael Voltaggio.

Owen Klein, who most recently spent seven years as vice president of global culinary innovation of CKE Restaurants Inc. in Franklin, Tenn., overseeing product development of the Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s quick service chains is now vice president of menu innovation at fast-casual concept Cava, based in Washington, D.C.

Alexander Kuzin is the new chef de cuisine of The Windsor Court hotel in New Orleans overseeing The Grill Room, The Polo Club, Le Salon, and Café Anglais.

Kuzin grew up in South Florida and earned an associate’s degree at Le Cordon Bleu in Miami and then a bachelor’s degree in culinary management at the International Culinary Schools at the Art Institute in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He went on to be chef de cuisine at the Loews Miami Beach and at Nobu Eden Roc Miami Beach, among other positions, beore joining the Windsor Court.

Jean Leathersich has been promoted to director of culinary at CKE Restaurants Inc., the parent company of quick-service chains Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s, based in Franklin. Tenn., where she has been working her way up the ranks for the past seven years, most recently as senior manager of culinary commercialization. Previously she had roles in packaging engineering with Kraft Foods and Mondelez International and also has worked as a pastry chef. She has a bachelor’s degree from Rochester Institute of Technology, where she majored in packaging science.

Francisco Lopez, Jr., is the new executive chef of MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa in Sonoma, Calif.  A native of New Hampshire, he has spent years working in California’s wine country, including at Etoile at Domaine Chandon and various positions for the Charlie Palmer Group, Thomas Keller Restaurant Group, Calistoga Ranch, Wine & Barrel, and Archer Hotel Group.

Manjit Manohar is the new executive chef of the Loews Regency New York Hotel. Most recently he was executive chef of the Millennium Hilton, also in New York, and before that he was at the Standard Highline hotel and before that he was at The Pierre Hotel, both also in New York

Gordon Maybury is the new director of culinary at The Seagate in Delray Beach, Fla. Most recently he was director of culinary at the JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort & Club in Aventura, Fla.

Patrick Meany is the new executive chef of The Inn at Newport Ranch in Fort Bragg, Calif. Most recently he spent three years at Harbor House in Elk, Calif., and also worked at Thomas Keller restaurants Per Se and Bouchon. He also owned his own restaurant, Stone and Embers, in Philo, Calif., in the states Anderson Valley.

Jim O’Connor is the new executive chef of the Naples Grande Beach Resort in Naples, Fla. A native of New York state, he studied at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., and worked in Colorado, California, Tennessee, and Montana. This is his first time working in Florida.

Albert Park has been named executive chef of South Coast Winery Resort & Spa in Temecula, Calif. Most recently he was executive sous chef of The Pacific Club in Newport Beach, Calif., overseeing Talbot Grill. He spent six years at that property and before that he was chef de cuisine at Bosscat Kitchen and Libations, also in Newport Beach, and prior to that he was chef de cuisine of Six Park Grill at the former Hyatt Regency in Irvine, Calif.

Augie Saucedo is the new executive chef of Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa in La Jolla, Calif. The Riverside, Calif., native attended culinary school at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, Calif., and went on to work at the Mission Inn Hotel in Riverside, Calif., under the mentorship of executive chef Joe Cochran. He then moved to San Diego and worked at a variety of restaurants and hotels including Donovan’s Prime Seafood, Sycuan Casino Resort, Hotel Republic San Diego, Autograph Collection and Brothers Signature Catering & Events. Most recently, Saucedo was corporate executive chef for the San Diego outposts of The LOT, a luxury entertainment and dining destination.

Walter Silva is the new executive chef of Le Sel at the Kimpton Banneker in Washington, D.C. Previously he developed the menu at Ilili Restaurant at the Wharf, also in D.C. He also ran two Barcelona Wine Bar locations.

Justin Spott is the new chef de cuisine of Tarpon Bay Restaurant at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa in Bonita Springs, Fla. The Virginia native has been at the Florida property since 2012 where he started as a line cook.

Christopher Tyler has been named executive chef of Margie’s at The Rockaway Hotel + Spa in the Rockaways section of the New York City borough of Queens. Most recently he was executive chef of The Hawthorn NYC, and he has spent much of his career in other New York City restaurants including Water’s Edge, Uncle Jack’s Steakhouse, Aviator Sports and Events Center, and Bohemian Hall Beer Garden, although he also has worked in France and Switzerland.

Megan Vaughan is the new executive chef of Medium Rare Lounge at the Encore Boston Harbor Hotel. Most recently she was executive chef of Michael Mina’s Bourbon Steak in Seattle, and before that she was a corporate chef for the Mina Group and also executive chef of The Beach Club in Santa Monica, Calif. She also spent four years as executive sous chef of Wolfgang Puck’s Cut in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Sam Walter is the new executive chef of Black Rock Mountain Resort’s Overlook Restaurant in Park City, Utah., operated by PEG Hospitality. Most recently he was chef de cuisine of Wood.ash.rye at The Advenire, Autograph Collection Hotel in St. George, Utah. Prior to that he was development chef for Clark Cooper Concepts in Houston, and before that he spent 15 years  cooking in Austin at restaurants including Jeffrey’s, Otoko, Justine’s, Uchiko, and Lenoir

Losa Salvieus Yi is the new executive chef of Genesis House Restaurant in New York City. Originally from South Korea, she has cooked at Gotham Bar & Grill, Daniel, and Aquavit in New York, The Savoy in London, and the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, Barton G., and Once in Las Vegas.