Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico is pleased to announce the appointment of seasoned Chef Luis Quezada as the 72-acre resort’s new executive chef. Bringing with him decades of experience with a proven track record of streamlining operations and increasing profitability, Chef Quezada is now the culinary director of the property’s 17 food and beverage outlets, which range from its premium steakhouse Prime 787 and sea-side food truck Picalo Gallo to one of the only true sports bars on the island, Sand Trap.
With a degree in culinary arts, Quezada spent most of his early career at the iconic Bellagio Casino & Resort in Las Vegas, working as a junior sous chef and chef de cuisine, in conjunction with the property’s opening team. Five years later, in 2005, he became the executive banquet chef at Caesars Palace and Caesars Entertainment, where he supervised and guided a staff of 65 people, successfully servicing 460,000 square feet of banquet and event space. He remained at Caesars, further developing his skills, for six years before he transitioned to Hilton Buffalo Thunder Casino & Resort in Santa Fe, and assumed his first official role as executive chef of a major resort. In New Mexico, Quezada oversaw the 400-room resort’s food and beverage operations, revamping its culinary program and stewarding the department to maximize revenue growth. In 2015, he took on the executive chef role at Sheraton Hotel & Conference Center in Austin before joining the Kalahari Resorts and Convention Center team in Poconos, Pennsylvania in 2017. After four years managing that property’s seven culinary outlets, Quezada accepted a coveted executive chef and task force chef role for Marriott International, which challenged him to manage the largest operation of his career to date, overseeing a $90 million revenue machine.
All of this has led him to and prepared him for this opportunity to lead the innovative food and beverage department of the recently renovated 579-room Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve at the foothills of El Yunque Rainforest. The resort has established itself as a culinary leader as well as meetings and events venue titan in Puerto Rico since Hyatt took over the property in 2020. Under the direction of general manager Mark Frances, the resort has ushered in new food and beverage concepts, such as pool-side restaurant La Mina and coffee and pastry shop Molido, in addition to increasing the property’s support for Puerto Rico’s food sovereignty, increasing its local produce consumption by over 60% within the last year alone. The resort has also introduced innovative culinary products to the property to increasingly immerse guests in the island’s rich culture, such as its locally produced resort-exclusive PRadise Bliss Lager craft beer and its upcoming PRadise Bliss Popsicles.
“It is an honor to join the Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico team,” said Luis Quezada, Executive Chef. “I am proud to be leading the resort’s culinary program in this exciting new phase of the property’s story, serving its diverse guests with tastes from around the world and sharing a bit of what makes Puerto Rico such a special destination through unparalleled food and beverage offerings and service. Seeing how open the resort team is to innovation and creativity, I knew this property would be a fantastic opportunity at this stage in my career and I look forward to contributing to its continued progress.”
