Raymond Bocanegra has been named executive chef of the Hôtel Swexan, a 134-room property which is slated to open this summer in Dallas with five dining venues: Isabelle’s, Babou’s, Stillwell’s, Leone, and Pomelo. Most recently he was the resort chef of Rosewood Miramar Beach in Montecito, Calif., but his résumé also includes stints at the Broadmoor Resort in Colorado Springs, Colo., and the Ritz-Carlton Denver.

He’s a Texas native who graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in Austin.

Husband and wife team Janine Booth and Jeff McInnis are heading up the culinary team at Trova Coastal Kitchen, which is slated to open at the Wyndham Palmas Beach & Golf Resort in Humacao, Puerto Rico, working with chef Julio Cartagena.

Booth and McInnis gained media attention when competing on Bravo TV’s Top Chef, where they met. They also currently run the Root & Bone concept with locations in Indianapolis and Miami. They first brought their food to Puerto Rico with Roots Coastal Kitchen at the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Puerto Rico Golf & Beach Resort in Rio Grande.

Cartagena gained culinary experience while serving in the military and since then has worked for Wyndham properties including the Grand Rio Mar and the Wyndham Palmas. 

Daniel Camp is the new culinary director of Fuzzy’s Taco Shop, a 137-unit fast-casual chain based in Fort Worth, Texas. Prior to that he spent just under four years in culinary development at On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina. Before that he research & development positions at Zoe’s Kitchen, Joe’s Crab Shack, Brick House Tavern & Tap, and Romano’s Macaroni Grill.

Richard Crespin is the new executive chef of Kimpton The Rowan Palm Springs Hotel.

Most recently executive chef and culinary director of Anaheim Arena Management, which manages the Honda Center, home of the Anaheim Ducks ice hockey team, he has worked in New York City and Paris as well as Spain and Japan, as well as Southern California. Previously he was executive chef of The Portofino Hotel & Marina in Redondo Beach, Calif., and Magnolia and Olé! Tapas Bar, both in Los Angeles.

Atsushi Ganaha is the new chef de cuisine at Bali Oceanfront restaurant at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort in Honolulu, Hawaii. Most recently he was executive chef of Torien in New York City and before that he was chef de cuisine at Oya, also in New York.

Rece Hogerheide is the new executive chef of the Detroit Foundation Hotel and its restaurant, The Apparatus Room. Most recently he was executive chef of the Daxton Hotel and its restaurant, Madam, in the Detroit suburb of Birmingham, Mich. Previously he worked at Gather restaurant in Portland, Mich., and Union Joints in Clarkston, Mich. He also is a founding chef of Felony Provisions, a group of experts in fermentation, butchery, cheesemaking, and charcuterie.

Alex Napolitano is the new executive chef of The Maker Hotel in Hudson, N.Y. He worked in kitchens in high school and college and then traveled to Italy and worked at Vicolo Santa Lucia on the Adriatic coast in Emilia-Romagna. After that he moved to New York City and worked at a variety of high-end restaurants including A Voce Madison, Charlie Bird, The Elm and Rubirosa Ristorante. He moved to the Hudson Valley in 2018 and worked for Escape Hospitality, overseeing the kitchens of Scribner’s Lodge and Fellow Mountain Café before joining The Maker.

Loris Navone is the new executive chef of Verde Restaurant at the Perez Art Museum Miami, part of the Constellation Culinary Group. He went to culinary school in Trieste, Italy, and went on to cook in Italy, Singapore, and Washington, D.C., before moving to South Florida, where he worked, among other places, as chef de cuisine of Dolce Italian at the Gale Hotel in Miami Beach.

Lucile Plaza in executive chef of Benoit, the Alain Ducasse restaurant in New York City. Originally from the Parisian suburbs, she started at Benoit in 2014 as sous chef but then went on to another French restaurant in the city, Le Coq Rico, as executive chef, but has since returned to Benoit.

Devon Pritchard: is the new pastry chef at Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa, Calif. Previously he was pastry chef at Camden Spit & Larder in Sacramento, Calif.

He graduated from Sacramento City College and Community College of Baltimore and also has a diploma from a culinary and pastry arts certificate program from a Baltimore high school.

Jeremy Sherman is the new executive chef of Smoke & Mirrors, the rooftop bar and restaurant on the 11^th floor of the AC Capitol Hill/Navy Yard Hotel in Washington, D.C. He has more than 30 years working in food & beverage, and 20 of them have been in the D.C., area. He graduated from The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. and worked for a Seasons 52 and Gordon Biersch, as well as D.C.-based Clyde’s Restaurant Group before joining the non-commercial giant Compass Group, where he worked before taking up his current position.

Andrew Vaughan has been promoted to executive chef of Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., where he has worked for the past eight years.

The Louisiana native worked at Restaurant Daniel in New York City after culinary school before returning to his home state and working for Emeril Lagasse in New Orleans for five years. He then moved to California and worked with Kerry Simon at the Sofitel Los Angeles before joining Terranea.

Timothy Wedell is the new executive chef of the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk Hotel. Previously he worked at Starwood and Marriott properties in Charlotte, N.C., and the Chicago area for eight years as well as in the West for Omni Hotels & Resorts.