THE SHERATON WILD HORSE PASS RESORT & SPA APPOINTS THOMAS RIORDAN AS THEIR NEW EXECUTIVE CHEF
Thomas Riordan New Executive Chef at Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa
The Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa is pleased to announce that Thomas Riordan was recently appointed Executive Chef of the resort. Riordan is an expert culinary leader with a prestigious culinary background and more than 20 years of experience in the food and beverage industry. Riordan brings an exceptional understanding of both the luxury market place and locally inspired dining.
In his new role as Executive Chef, Riordan will have the significant task of overseeing all culinary functions at Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa, including oversight of restaurant concepts and menus for Ko’Sin and the resort’s signature and award winning restaurant, Kai. Additionally he will oversee meeting and group banquets, event catering, guest room dining for the 500 room resort and all culinary staff recruitment and training.
Riordan will work closely with Kai’s Chef de Cuisine, Ryan Swanson, to maintain the signature restaurant’s sophisticated Native American inspired cuisine and the level of personalized and elegant service that guests have come to cherish in Arizona’s most celebrated restaurant.
Riordan studied at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York before he made a name for himself as a chef in Scottsdale where he cut his teeth at The Scottsdale Princess.
Most recently Riordan served as the Executive Chef at W Austin, where he spent the past two years, and his responsibilities included management of several culinary venues including;
TRACE restaurant, banquets, pastry, butchery and charcuterie, food service in the resort’s three bars and lounges, all functions of in-room dining, stewarding operations, catering and green room for the ACL theater.
Prior to that he was the Executive Chef at The St. Regis Aspen where he developed and executed the concepts for Italian restaurant Trecento Quindici Decano, as well as the innovative new spa treatment for Remede Spa, the “Farm-to-massage table.” Riordan also opened and served as Executive Chef at the renowned Chef’s Club, Food & Wine’s collaborative platform for showcasing some of the country’s top culinary talent.
His breadth of experience includes positions at several esteemed restaurants in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area. He was the Executive Sous Chef at The Phoenician, the Chef de Cuisine at Marquesa, which was the AAA Five-Diamond signature restaurant of The Scottsdale Princess, when open. He also held a chef position at the JW Marriott Camelback Inn.
Riordan, his wife and children are excited to return to the Phoenix area. When he is away from the kitchen he enjoys fishing, exercising and spending time with the family. He is an avid Coyotes fan and looks forward to returning to the games soon.
“It is an honor to become a part of the highly regarded food and beverage family at Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa,” said Riordan. “I am excited to return to Phoenix and its expanding food scene. I look forward to working with the team to continue pushing the envelope on creative culinary concepts and service standards and delivering world-class results.”
“We are thrilled to welcome Thomas Riordan,” said Bunty Ahamed, General Manager. “With his culinary pedigree and experience, his enthusiasm for sophisticated cuisine and his leadership qualities, he will help us continue the great culinary tradition for which our resort is known.”
The Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa is a total destination resort showcasing the heritage, culture, art and legends of the Pima and Maricopa Tribes. The resort offerings include: 500 culturally themed rooms, Forbes Five-Star/AAA Five-Diamond Dining at Kai restaurant, the Forbes Four-Star Aji Spa; 36-holes of Troon-managed golf at Whirlwind Golf Club; the 1,000-acre Koli Equestrian Center, and several nearby attractions. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram @sheratonwildhorsepass and Twitter.
