Kelley Schmidt has been appointed Executive Chef at Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis
Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis announces Kelley Schmidt as the Hotel's new Executive Chef. Fresh on the heels of his arrival, Chef Schmidt will co-host the first Mississippi Dinner on June 16, 2023 alongside his culinary colleague of Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans, where he was most recently Executive Sous Chef. Joining him in the kitchen for this special evening will be David Harrower, Executive Banquet Chef of Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans.
Chef Schmidt has a 17-year pedigree with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, first joining Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale as a cook while still in culinary school, where gaining hands-on knowledge both ignited his passion for the industry and sparked his adventurous spirit.
Growing up on the rolling plains of North Dakota, Chef Kelley Schmidt was inspired as a child by the lavish feasts his grandmother would cook for family celebrations and holidays. Inspired by famed chefs and writers such as Emeril Lagasse, Paul Prudhomme, Jacques Pepin and Anthony Bourdain, Schmidt set off to search out his hunger for all things delicious (and to avoid the bitterly cold winters) by attending culinary school at Le Cordon Bleu at the Scottsdale Culinary Institute in Arizona. While in culinary school, Chef Schmidt joined Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale as a cook, where he gained first-hand experience in the kitchen, only furthering his passion.
He then continued his career at the former Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas, before joining the preopening team of Four Seasons Hotel Denver, where among numerous accomplishments, he launched the popular EDGE steakhouse in 2010. In 2016, Schmidt was called by the aloha spirit to open Four Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina, where, as Sous Chef Tournant, he assisted in the opening and operation of each of its dining outlets. In late 2017 he helped lead the opening of Mina's Fish House, with the Mina Restaurant Group. Chef Schmidt joined the opening team at Four Seasons Hotel One Dalton Street, Boston in 2019, where later, as Senior Sous Chef, he led the culinary team and all food and beverage operations. In 2021, he moved to Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans in preparation of opening Miss River, the much-anticipated restaurant by Alon Shaya, celebrating spirited takes on classic Louisiana cuisine. In August 2022, he was promoted to Executive Sous Chef overseeing the Hotel's food and beverage offerings, including Donald Link's Chemin à la Mer, pool, in room dining, and banquets and catering.
