Hotel Vitale, a Joie de Vivre property, is pleased to announce the appointment of Josua Perez as executive chef at San Francisco’s only luxury waterfront boutique hotel.
In this role, Perez will oversee the kitchen at Americano Restaurant & Bar, which is known for its handcrafted, soulful Italian cuisine, showcasing locally-sourced ingredients. He will also be responsible for producing all dishes for Hotel Vitale's in-room dining as well as for meetings and special events from the restaurant's kitchen. Perez has been with Hotel Vitale for seven years, most recently as Americano’s chef de cuisine.
“We are thrilled to build upon Chef Perez’s impressive tenure at Hotel Vitale and Americano,” says area managing director Antoine Berberi. “This is a natural development given that the chef has played an increasingly significant role in everything from menu development to event execution over the past few years. We are excited for him to expand his influence over Hotel Vitale’s entire culinary program.”
Perez began as a sous chef at Americano in 2007, assuming an active and influential role in the creation of dishes over the years. At Americano, Perez pays particular attention to the turning of the seasons, crafting flavorful dishes based on local produce available from area purveyors, as well as from the Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market located at the historic site just steps from Americano’s kitchen.
No stranger to the vibrant Bay Area culinary scene, Perez worked in the kitchens of several well-known San Francisco restaurants, including Absinthe, Firefly, and The Liberty Café in Bernal Heights, before joining the team at Hotel Vitale and Americano. He spent five years at the acclaimed San Francisco institution Zuni Café, under the tutelage of Chef Judy Rodgers, learning a rare approach to food, attention to detail, and a seasonal style of cooking that inspire him to this day.
A San Francisco native, Perez graduated from the Hotel & Restaurant Program at City College of San Francisco in 1995.
Hotel Vitale in San Francisco offers waterfront views that include iconic San Francisco landmarks such as The Ferry Building, the Bay Bridge, Treasure Island, and Alcatraz, all of which can be taken in from the hotel’s outdoor terrace event spaces and from the Americano patio on the hotel’s lobby level. Additionally, Hotel Vitale’s Deluxe Waterfront guest rooms and Americano offer unparalleled vantage points for The Bay Lights’ extraordinary viewing experience.
