Better Together: Celebrating International Chefs Day Around the Americas

To commemorate International Chefs Day on Oct. 20, Hilton chefs across the Americas have shared how Hilton inspires creativity, thinking out of the box and collaboration in their jobs.

“Hilton’s elevated dining across the Americas showcases the boundless creativity, vision and passion of our stellar hotel culinary teams, through reimagined restaurant concepts, thoughtfully-designed cocktails, diverse dishes paying homage to local culture and more,” said Tom Walters, senior vice president, food & beverage, Americas, Hilton. “The food and beverage experience tells a story, whether it’s with menus inspired by family traditions or globally-inspired menus built through collaboration with peers across the globe. At Hilton, we empower our team members to incorporate their ideas, be innovative and bring their stories to life.”

As we head into the holiday season and enjoy shared meals around the table with friends, family, peers and loved ones, our chefs have shared some of their favorite dishes that are better when made together.

Conrad Washington DC

Chef de Cuisine Ria Montes

Restaurant:
Estuary at Conrad Washington DC

Dish:
Mushroom Stuffing

Raised in a large Filipino family in the melting pot of Forest Hills, Queens, Chef Ria Montes developed her deep love for food and passion for cooking while learning the ropes alongside her aunties, cousins and other extended family members as they cooked traditional meals for a small village of relatives. The idea of connecting with the cultural ties of her heritage through cooking delicious food lit a spark in Chef Ria, which took her to the French Culinary Institute for her education.

After graduating, Chef Ria spent time in several kitchens throughout New York City, including Smith and Wollensky in midtown East and Andaz on 5^th Avenue, where her exceptional work ethic drove her promotion to Executive Sous Chef.

Having spent several years at Andaz, Chef Ria moved to Washington, D.C. to accept the position of Sous Chef working under Executive Chef Brad Deboy at Michelin-starred Blue Duck Tavern. From there, Chef Ria joined another exceptional DC culinary mind, Chef Opie Brooks, at A Rake’s Progress, where she was able to exercise her creative side in designing menus based on daily produce from local farmers.

When the COVID-19 pandemic caused the restaurant to close, Chef Ria joined the team at Albi in Navy Yard before re-joining Chef Opie to open No Goodbyes, a new restaurant occupying A Rake’s Progress’s sister restaurant in the same building.

Through her experience, Chef Ria has developed a unique approach to cooking based around the notion that creating good food doesn’t necessarily come with parameters—creativity and the courage to trust your instinct in knowing what works well, are imperative in developing dishes that allow the ingredients to shine in unexpected ways. As Chef de Cuisine of Estuary, Chef Ria is excited to bring her philosophy and passion front and center as she embarks on creating a new, innovative take on the seasonal flavors of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

How does this recipe celebrate teamwork?

Chef de Cuisine Ria Montes: “I love taking on the task of cooking the stuffing for Thanksgiving with my nieces and nephews because I can give them fun tasks like squishing the bread together, which lets them use their hands and really get into making the dish. It also leaves them with a sense of pride and ownership over the stuffing, like, ‘I helped make this!’ And for the adults, it keeps the kiddos busy in the kitchen.”

Mushroom Stuffing

4 Portions

Ingredients

400 g croissants
200 g sourdough bread
300 g chopped mushrooms
80 g garlic
40 g chopped thyme
400 g beef stock
150 g heavy cream
4 whole eggs

Directions

Tear all bread into same-size pieces and set aside.
Mix beef stock, heavy cream and whole eggs in a bowl until all incorporated.
Pour mixture into bread.
Fold in mushrooms, thyme and garlic.
Salt to taste.
Let set overnight. Cover with foil.
Bake in a 375 F oven until the bread is firm.

How has Hilton empowered you in your role?

Chef de Cuisine Ria Montes: “Working at Hilton has allowed me to really take my creativity and run with it. When I started at Estuary at Conrad Washington DC, I approached the team with an idea that I've always wanted to do: a dinner series highlighting the incredibly talented women who work in the food and beverage industry here in DC."

"Throughout my time working in various restaurant kitchens in New York and DC, I've often run into situations where I've been either the only woman in the kitchen or one of two women -- it goes without saying that the restaurant industry is fairly male-dominated. But in these situations, I've also had the privilege of getting to know other women and seeing the incredible amount of talented women there are working in restaurants who may run a little under the radar."

"When I approached the team with my idea, there was not only no hesitation, the entire team got excited about it and ideas from all of the chefs, sommeliers and managers started flowing. We've now hosted two of our Miss-en-Place dinners with a third scheduled for December. This could not have happened without the support and flexibility of Hilton to allow me to not only express my ideas, but also have them supported and have them come into reality, which is something I haven't experienced before.”

Hilton Bogota

Executive Chef Adrián Gerboles

Hilton Bogota

Dish: Avocado Toast with Smoked Salmon

Chef Adrián Gerboles has a culinary passion with more than 17 years of experience, mostly in the hospitality industry, working as an executive chef at Hilton Bogota, Canopy by Hilton Cancun, and Hilton Mexico City Santa Fe, among others. He has a strong French-based approach to his cooking and is always looking for constant improvement and trying to incorporate new knowledge into what he is passionate about.