The award-winning Hotel Revival, a JdV by Hyatt hotel located in Baltimore’s Mount Vernon neighborhood, announced that Alexis Hernandez has joined the team as its new executive chef. With extensive experience working in fine dining and upscale restaurants in Peru, Chicago and Washington, D.C., Chef Hernandez brings a unique culinary perspective and blend of flavors to the hotel. His debut dinner menu is currently available at Topside and will be available as part of Baltimore Summer Restaurant Week, which begins July 23.
Hotel Revival Names Alexis Hernandez Chef
“Chef Hernandez brings a wealth of culinary talent to our team. His extremely diverse experience working at restaurants from Peru to our nation’s capitol will elevate the dining experience here at the hotel and further our mission to make the Revival a welcoming space for all,” said Donte Johnson, general manager for Hotel Revival.
Drawing from an impressive career that encompasses professional culinary experience at several upscale restaurants in both Peru and the United States, Chef Hernandez will be responsible for managing the restaurant’s food service operations, which includes the top floor restaurant Topside, in-room food service, banquets and private events. Chef has a natural ability to create enthusiastic, productive working environments and has a strong record for streamlining operations and improving service while preserving a high-quality level.
“I am thrilled to be joining the Hotel Revival team and to welcome back guests to Topside with new dining experiences,” said Chef Hernandez. “Bringing my style and the flavors that I’ve worked with over the years to Baltimore is such an exciting opportunity. I look forward to making Topside a culinary destination.”
Growing up in Peru, Chef Hernandez discovered his passion for cooking at an early age. Guided by the hand of his mother, he would frequent the open-air markets of Lima, where he learned to check the quality of fresh produce and meats through smell, touch and taste. Eager to learn beyond his mother’s teachings, Chef Hernandez began his formal training at Le Cordon Bleu, Peru as the youngest student in the institution’s founding culinary class. After working in the Peruvian upscale restaurant scene for years, Chef Hernandez joined the Embassy of Peru in Washington, D.C. as the Chef of the Peruvian Ambassador. Throughout his two years at the embassy, he served countless diplomats and dignitaries, and oversaw the featured menu of “Noche Peruana en el Capitolio,” a feast promoting Peruvian cuisine among leading authorities at The United States Capitol. During this time, Chef Hernandez was selected as one of the eight “Best Chefs of Peru,” leading cooking demonstrations and gala dinners at the 2007 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival in Disney World.
Chef Hernandez worked at several D.C.-based restaurants including Stephen Starr’s award-winning French restaurant Le Diplomate; Zengo, where he worked alongside James Beard finalist Chef Richard Sandoval serving a blend of Latin-Asian styles; and Capitol Hill’s Romeo & Juliet where he was able to reignite his passion for Mediterranean cuisine as executive chef before making his way to Chicago as Chef de Cuisine at Boleo, a rooftop restaurant featuring the flavors of South America at the Kimpton Gray Hotel. Missing Washington, Chef Hernandez returned to the area and served as the executive sous chef for Kimpton Hotel Monaco Washington, D.C.’s Dirty Habit until 2020.
Chef Hernandez now brings his vast experiences to Hotel Revival where he debuts a menu with flavor-forward seafood dishes at the rooftop restaurant Topside. Starters include Crab Causa Rolls ($20), featuring aji amarillo whipped potato, panca mayo crab mousse, and avocado puree; Octopus ($18), served with baby potatoes, citrus cilantro and crispy chorizo; and Crudo ($18), a catch of the day marinated in citrus aji amarillo and served with glazed sweet potato and salmon roe.
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Main dishes include Chilean Sea Bass($36), prepared with panca miso glaze and served with a shrimp rice cake and baby spinach; Branzino ($36) served with pomme rosti and red pepper coulis, mushroom escabeche and white asparagus; Crab Pasta ($30), squid ink pasta with a gouda cheese sauce and topped with crispy prosciutto. Chef Hernandez also offers “land” items on the dinner menu including Braised Oxtail ($28), served with plantain gnocchi, yellow tomato ragout and garnished with pickled daikon; Roasted Chicken ($28) served with butternut squash, mushrooms, brussels sprouts and chicken jus; and the popular Topside Burger ($20) topped with white aged cheddar and caramelized onion puree and served with fries or a side salad.
Topside is currently open from 5:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. The restaurant is also open for brunch on Sundays. Reservations can be made through OpenTable. For more information on Topside and Hotel Revival, visit www.jdvhotels.com/revival or @revivalbaltimore and @topsidebmore on Instagram.
