Three local chefs turn up the heat at Silicon Valley hotels

"This is the first hotel I have worked for that is not in a downtown area, which makes us unique. We're like a little oasis in the middle of suburban San Jose. What makes cheffing at hotel restaurants unique, he says, is the fact that you're often serving a first-time customer. There seems to always be a traveler that has not eaten at your restaurant before, says Macaluso, who credits his job for giving him the opportunity to travel."

"Joseph Humphrey, executive chef at Oak & Violet in the Park James Hotel in Menlo Park, is no stranger to hotel restaurants, having worked at The Bellagio and the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Auberge du Soleil and Meadowood in Napa Valley, Cavallo Point in Sausalito and The Claremont in Berkeley. For a long time, hotel restaurants got kind of a bad rap because they were looked at as being just amenities for the hotel, and never very interesting, says Humphrey."

Three chefs working at hotel restaurants shared experiences preparing for corporate holiday parties and family gatherings that dominate December business. Executive Chef Joshua Macaluso joined San Jose's Hayes Mansion Hilton Curio 18 months earlier after roles at top San Francisco hotels including Mark Hopkins, Fairmont, Hyatt Regency, Ritz Carlton and Westin. Hayes Mansion is located outside downtown and functions as a suburban oasis. Macaluso notes many patrons are first-time diners and credits the job with broad travel and collaboration opportunities. Joseph Humphrey of Oak & Violet in Menlo Park previously worked at The Bellagio, MGM Grand, Auberge du Soleil, Meadowood, Cavallo Point and The Claremont, and observes hotel restaurants have gained distinct identities over the past decade.

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