The Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach is here after a then-record $500 million real estate sale in 2019, a name and brand swap, and a multi-million dollar renovation that included the relocation of 400 rooms. It has undergone major changes over the years. 800,000 sq. ft. of recent luxury resorts.
The latest changes to Orange County’s first Waldorf Astoria facility are food-oriented. The resort recently appointed two outstanding culinary talents, Chef Gordon Mayberry and Chef Peter Rye, to its leadership team.
Mr. Mayberry has been named executive chef of the resort and will oversee the resort’s overall culinary experience, while Mr. Rye will be responsible for the Bourbon Steak Orange, chef and restaurateur Michael Mina’s homage to American steakhouses. Take on the role of County Executive Chef.
The announcement follows the retirement of the resort’s esteemed Executive Chef Jean-Pierre Dubrey, who was instrumental in selecting a culinary leader to carry on the legacy.
As the resort’s executive chef, Mr. Mayberry will lead the property’s culinary operations, including overseeing seven restaurants and a full banquet and catering operation.
As Bourbon Steak’s executive chef, Lai is tasked with maintaining Michael Mina’s culinary vision. Mr. Rye served as executive chef at several prominent restaurants in the County, including Orange, Water Grill, Blind Rabbit, Oak Grill, and He County.
business mentality
Mayberry has worked at several luxury resorts, including the Arizona Biltmore.
The Dana Point Resort, which was purchased by Ohana Real Estate Investors LLC in 2019 for $1.25 million per key and later rebranded as the Waldorf Astoria, is Mayberry’s first assignment in California. Become.
Mayberry said the main goal is consistency.
“Guests want the same experience,” Mayberry said. “Monarch Beach has eight different stores, so I’m responsible for the quality of the food at all of those stores, and I’m involved in staffing at all of those stores, so I have to make sure the product is consistent. But in addition, you have to deal with the cooks, the chefs and sous chefs, and the financial obligations. ”
Ohana, which has investments in other OC resorts, sold a 40% stake in the resort to the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians last year for a reported valuation of $600 million.
Dubrey pointed out that executive chefs have many responsibilities.
“Meetings are planned not just for today or tomorrow, but for next week or next month. A holiday menu meeting. You’re always thinking about the next thing. You can’t change yesterday. Think about the future. That is the job of the executive chef.
“Staff are working for today and tomorrow, sous chefs are working for this week, chefs are working for this month, and we are working beyond that,” Mayberry said.
high end standard
While Mayberry oversees all cuisine at the resort, Lai focuses on the hotel’s most famous restaurant, Bourbon Steak, which has undergone a unique transformation. Formerly known as Stonehill Tavern.
He is tasked with making sure all dishes are cooked consistently while offering new dishes.
“The Michael Mina name has standards that must be upheld,” Lai said. “We have a little bit of freedom in how we plate things, and we can change them up depending on the season. In addition to our catering menu, we also do special dinners and tastings.”
Mr. Rye also highlighted the bourbon steak experience.
“Steak can be eaten in many places, but here we offer an experience. You get a table touch with a sommelier. When you order chicken, he cuts it tableside, explains the story, and tells you about the aromas, emotions, and… , smell the essence. Everything that is done here has meaning.”
chopped audition
“It took us three months to hire him,” Dubrey said of Lai. “There was the Waldorf Astoria process and the Michael Mina process.”
The process involved something similar to the Food Network show “Chopped,” where Rye had to create a dish for a panel of judges that included Dubray.
“They gave me a choice of what to make. I had to prepare an appetizer and a main dish. They gave me free range, but the ingredients they gave me They also offered us the surprise option of cooking the food for them,” Rai recalls.
Mr. Lai clearly passed the gourmet test.
“We’re lucky to work for such great brands,” Dubrey said. “Gordon has to build it back up instead of coming in broken. He’s going pretty well so it’s important to keep going.”
Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach:
1 Monarch Beach Resort (Dana Point)
(949) 234-3368, waldorfastoriamonarchbeach.com
Decades of Haute Cuisine at Dubray
Jean-Pierre Dubray, the outgoing executive chef of the Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach, has a 40-year career at some of the world’s finest hotels and resorts, and a long history in Orange County.
Prior to joining Dana Point Resort, he helped open the resort at Pelican Hill on the Newport Coast, where he spent more than a decade before coming to the resort known as Monarch Beach Resort during the pandemic.
Dubray’s favorite memories include cooking with such luminaries as Julia Child and Paul Bocuse.
Dubray “has left an indelible impact on Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach and the greater hospitality community,” said George Mantz, general manager of the resort.
“His close involvement in the selection of our new culinary leader is a testament to Chef Dubray’s commitment to upholding his legacy and ensuring the resort’s future success.”
Dubray came to the United States from France in 1980 at the age of 21 and opened a restaurant called La Vien Rose in Brea. He then served as dining room chef and sous chef at The Ritz-Carlton in Dana Point, and then executive chef at The Ritz-Carlton in Rancho Santa Mirage and The Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco. Ta.
“San Francisco turned out to be the best job I could have ever imagined,” Dubrey recalls. “The food scene was great and our hotel was a destination hotel. Then the stock market crash happened and I moved back to Southern California and opened Pelican Hill.”
Dubrey said she is looking forward to retirement because it will allow her to devote more time to gardening and not have to sacrifice weekends or holidays.
