Arcadia Restaurant's New Chef De Cuisine: Adam Hayes
Hayes Sources The Freshest Local Ingredients For The
"Classics With A Twist Cuisine" At This Modern American Steakhouse
CITY, STATE (November 9, 2010) — While Adam Hayes, the newly appointed Chef de Cuisine at Arcadia at the San Jose Marriott, has only been in his role for a few weeks, he's already putting in 12+ hour days to ensure that this Michael Mina modern American steakhouse provides guests with the absolute best dining experience possible.
His typical day starts at about 10 a.m., when he makes sure the lines are set up for lunch following breakfast. Then he works on any special food and beverage projects, finishes up the lunch service — which can include preparing food for 115 people on a busy day — takes care of office work in the afternoon, then it's dinner service until 10, and after that, the real work begins: ordering the freshest proteins, vegetables, and other products he needs in his coolers for the next day's service.
Arcadia's style of cuisine is called "classics with a twist" (think lobster pot pie and chicken and truffle mac and cheese) as well as for offering several cuts of beef, lamb, and pork. Chef Hayes' job is to source the best local ingredients possible because when ingredients are literally farm to table, flavors are at their peak. One of the things Chef Hayes has already introduced on to the menu is his local artisan cheese plate which features five different styles of cheese from all different parts of California.
The focus on fresh local ingredients is a trend Chef Hayes has been watching over the past few years, noting that many top chefs are moving away from very fancy, intricate dishes and cooking more simply using good local ingredients, sustainable foods, and techniques that bring out the best natural flavors. He even notes how this trend is impacting the home cook of late, who is more likely to visit a local farmer's market to find what is fresh versus buying something frozen at the supermarket.
Adam Hayes joined Marriott Hotels & Resorts in 2006 in his native Florida, and has since worked his way up through the ranks to his newest position as Chef de Cuisine at Arcadia at the San Jose Marriott. His style is to cook ingredients out of their local origin, and being a Florida native seafood is one of his favorite things to cook for himself. In fact, on his days off, he's apt to drive to the coast and go diving or fishing and come home and prepare his daily catch. You might also find him making homey comfort foods including a slow-roasted chicken noodle soup — and yes, he makes his own stock from the chicken and his own noodles from scratch!
And even though he's traveled clear across the country and taken up residence in California, strangely enough, he hasn't ventured all that far from his cooking roots. His initial foray into the culinary world involved delivering pizzas for a high-volume rustic Southern Italian restaurant back when he was 17. And after delivering pizzas day in and day out, he became curious about how they were made and asked for a job in the kitchen instead. While cooking always came easy to him — he used to come home after school and make pancakes for himself when he was only 6 — it was never something he considered as a career. Yet when he made his move from the delivery vehicle to the kitchen, all that changed.
Chef Hayes spent a few months making pizzas at that same restaurant, and then moved on to become a line cook at a fine dining Italian restaurant. He graduated high school and then began working in kitchens — progressively moving from one establishment to another to continue to gain knowledge and expertise — until he decided to get really serious about a culinary career and attended Johnson & Wales University, first receiving an Associate in Science, Culinary Arts and then later a Bachelor of Arts in Food Service Management. His commitment to food and wine is so firmly entrenched now, that he even has a certification as a Sommelier from the German Wine School in Koblenz, Germany.
And ironically, while he has come so far from his days making pizza, today one of his responsibilities is to oversee the toppings which will go on the fresh brick-oven pizza which the restaurant offers as one of its lunch specials each day. Not surprisingly, what goes on top, is usually what Chef Hayes can source locally. It all fits in with his master plan for his new position of ensuring that each seasonal menu focuses on local and sustainable ingredients, enhancing each dish's presentation and style, and continuing to show guests that hotel dining — particularly here at the San Jose Marriott — has been taken to an entirely new level.
About the San Jose Marriott
The San Jose Marriott provides travelers with everything they need for their vacations as well as balance within the face of business. With pillow top mattresses, triple sheeting and comfortable pillows, guests sleep well when they stay at the Marriott. There are also 27 inch flat screen TVs in the guestrooms, along with wired for business high speed Internet. When guests venture outside of their rooms, they are close to top attractions like the Tech Museum of Innovation, the Winchester Mystery House and the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum and Planetarium.
For more information about the San Jose Marriott, visit http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/sjcsj-san-jose-marriott/ or call 1-408-280-1300.
"Classics With A Twist Cuisine" At This Modern American Steakhouse
CITY, STATE (November 9, 2010) — While Adam Hayes, the newly appointed Chef de Cuisine at Arcadia at the San Jose Marriott, has only been in his role for a few weeks, he's already putting in 12+ hour days to ensure that this Michael Mina modern American steakhouse provides guests with the absolute best dining experience possible.
His typical day starts at about 10 a.m., when he makes sure the lines are set up for lunch following breakfast. Then he works on any special food and beverage projects, finishes up the lunch service — which can include preparing food for 115 people on a busy day — takes care of office work in the afternoon, then it's dinner service until 10, and after that, the real work begins: ordering the freshest proteins, vegetables, and other products he needs in his coolers for the next day's service.
Arcadia's style of cuisine is called "classics with a twist" (think lobster pot pie and chicken and truffle mac and cheese) as well as for offering several cuts of beef, lamb, and pork. Chef Hayes' job is to source the best local ingredients possible because when ingredients are literally farm to table, flavors are at their peak. One of the things Chef Hayes has already introduced on to the menu is his local artisan cheese plate which features five different styles of cheese from all different parts of California.
The focus on fresh local ingredients is a trend Chef Hayes has been watching over the past few years, noting that many top chefs are moving away from very fancy, intricate dishes and cooking more simply using good local ingredients, sustainable foods, and techniques that bring out the best natural flavors. He even notes how this trend is impacting the home cook of late, who is more likely to visit a local farmer's market to find what is fresh versus buying something frozen at the supermarket.
Adam Hayes joined Marriott Hotels & Resorts in 2006 in his native Florida, and has since worked his way up through the ranks to his newest position as Chef de Cuisine at Arcadia at the San Jose Marriott. His style is to cook ingredients out of their local origin, and being a Florida native seafood is one of his favorite things to cook for himself. In fact, on his days off, he's apt to drive to the coast and go diving or fishing and come home and prepare his daily catch. You might also find him making homey comfort foods including a slow-roasted chicken noodle soup — and yes, he makes his own stock from the chicken and his own noodles from scratch!
And even though he's traveled clear across the country and taken up residence in California, strangely enough, he hasn't ventured all that far from his cooking roots. His initial foray into the culinary world involved delivering pizzas for a high-volume rustic Southern Italian restaurant back when he was 17. And after delivering pizzas day in and day out, he became curious about how they were made and asked for a job in the kitchen instead. While cooking always came easy to him — he used to come home after school and make pancakes for himself when he was only 6 — it was never something he considered as a career. Yet when he made his move from the delivery vehicle to the kitchen, all that changed.
Chef Hayes spent a few months making pizzas at that same restaurant, and then moved on to become a line cook at a fine dining Italian restaurant. He graduated high school and then began working in kitchens — progressively moving from one establishment to another to continue to gain knowledge and expertise — until he decided to get really serious about a culinary career and attended Johnson & Wales University, first receiving an Associate in Science, Culinary Arts and then later a Bachelor of Arts in Food Service Management. His commitment to food and wine is so firmly entrenched now, that he even has a certification as a Sommelier from the German Wine School in Koblenz, Germany.
And ironically, while he has come so far from his days making pizza, today one of his responsibilities is to oversee the toppings which will go on the fresh brick-oven pizza which the restaurant offers as one of its lunch specials each day. Not surprisingly, what goes on top, is usually what Chef Hayes can source locally. It all fits in with his master plan for his new position of ensuring that each seasonal menu focuses on local and sustainable ingredients, enhancing each dish's presentation and style, and continuing to show guests that hotel dining — particularly here at the San Jose Marriott — has been taken to an entirely new level.
About the San Jose Marriott
The San Jose Marriott provides travelers with everything they need for their vacations as well as balance within the face of business. With pillow top mattresses, triple sheeting and comfortable pillows, guests sleep well when they stay at the Marriott. There are also 27 inch flat screen TVs in the guestrooms, along with wired for business high speed Internet. When guests venture outside of their rooms, they are close to top attractions like the Tech Museum of Innovation, the Winchester Mystery House and the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum and Planetarium.
For more information about the San Jose Marriott, visit http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/sjcsj-san-jose-marriott/ or call 1-408-280-1300.
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