JONATHAN GELMAN, EXECUTIVE CHEF 512.391-7131 jgelman@destinationhotels.com
For more than 20 years, Chef Jonathan Gelman has cooked at some of the country's most luxurious hotels, resorts and wineries. As executive chef for The Driskill Hotel, he oversees and directs all of the hotel's culinary programs, including The Driskill Grill, 1886 Café & Bakery and catering and banquets. Prior to joining The Driskill late last year, he most recently served as executive chef for L'Auberge de Sedona, an AAA Four-Diamond luxury resort and spa in Sedona, AZ.
While attending college in Long Beach, he worked various culinary positions at several Hyatt Hotel Corporation properties in California and Hawaii. After graduating magna cum laude from the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, Chef Gelman clinched his first five-star experience, first as pastry sous chef at the Ritz Carlton Laguna-Niguel in Dana Point, CA and, later, when he transferred into The Dining Room Restaurant as sous chef under Three-Star Michelin Chef Boris Keller. From Chef Keller, Gelman began to hone his skills in French cuisine and culture that continue to inspire his cuisine.
"The style of my food reflects exquisite contemporary American cuisine with French and Mediterranean influences," says Chef Gelman. "I focus on locally-grown products, seasonal ingredients, impeccable presentation and cutting-edge menu choices to create a truly memorable dining experience."
Early in his became career, Chef Gelman apprenticed with the US Culinary Olympic Team and was a member of the American Culinary Federation's 1996 Team California, winning an impressive collection of gold and silver medals in the culinary competitions.
His prestigious credentials also includes executive chef for Monarch Bay Resorts, where the Pacific Rim menu focuses on seafood; executive chef at Cuivaison Winery in Napa Valley; executive chef of catering and banquets for Michael's at The Cidadel in Scottsdale, AZ; executive sous chef at the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa, another AAA Four-Diamond property. In addition, Chef Gelman owned and served as executive chef for Napa Gardens Catering in Napa Valley.
Chef Gelman's extensive portfolio of experience, as well as his extraordinary talents as a culinarian at some of the Southwest's most prestigious hotels and resorts, bodes well for his arrival at The Driskill Hotel, which rates as a Four-Diamond, Five-Star property and also holds the distinction of appearing on Conde Nast's coveted "Gold List" of the world's best places to stay.
