Hector Espinoza, Radisson Aruba Resort, Casino & Spa
Hector Espinoza offers more than two decades of accomplishment-laden culinary experience. This San Antonio, Texas native is currently residing in the Caribbean, serving as the Executive Sous Chef at the Radisson Aruba Resort, Spa & Casino, and is enjoying the international critical acclaim bestowed on the property's flagship restaurant, Sunset Grille, which was recently awarded "Best Restaurant in the Caribbean" by Caribbean Travel & Life magazine's Reader's Poll.
In his role as Executive Sous Chef, Hector assists in the development of menu concepts for the Sunset Grille, which has earned the AAA four-diamond award five years running, as well as two other major restaurant outlets, and an innovative spa cuisine menu for health-conscious guests. The Radisson Aruba Resort, Spa & Casino is also a major convention and special event destination in the Caribbean, and Hector has been instrumental in planning and implementing menus for large-scale banquets requiring anything from elegant, plated ballroom service to festive, outdoor themed events for as many as 1000 guests.
Prior to his current 12-year stint in Aruba, Hector began his career at the Wyndham Hotel in San Antonio in 1988, eventually serving as Executive Chef for this high-volume business hotel. Hector was also tapped to be a part of the task force at the Wyndham Hotel in Kingston, Jamaica in 1991.
Hector's culinary experiences then took him to Greensboro, North Carolina where he served as Executive Chef for Embassy Suites, then on to work with a team of chefs at one of the east coasts' largest-volume catering companies, Catering By Ellyn, where he contributed to the success of such prestigious events as the Greensboro Chrysler Classic, a major PGA tournament, the ACC Basketball Tournament, and the International Home Furnishings Market.
Throughout his career, Hector has had the opportunity to work in a variety of culinary settings, learning and appreciating local and cultural influences on cuisine. But perhaps his proudest achievement to date was in October of 2007, when he had the honor of being selected as an international guest chef for The James Beard Foundation, where he helped to create and implement a special menu-"Sunset over Aruba"-for members of this prestigious foundation in the home of James Beard in New York City.
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