With a new team of innovative female executives, including newly appointed General Manager Amy Arbuckle, W San Francisco announced that Chef Dawn Taylor-Cole will oversee and refresh the culinary program at the hotel, including developing menus for its catering and banquet facilities, room service, Living Room bar, and W Hotels’ concept restaurant, TRACE. Chef Dawn joins W San Francisco as an accomplished culinary professional who created artful Modern Californian cuisine as executive chef for The Clancy, Autograph Collection, drove the “farm-fresh” menus at The Clift Royal Sonesta Hotel, and was instrumental in creating a new restaurant concept and developing menus as executive sous chef at Hyatt Regency in San Francisco.

“Chef Dawn is a highly respected culinary innovator and collaborator who channels her diverse experiences and magnetic personality into everything she does,” says W San Francisco General Manager, Amy Arbuckle. “We are excited to see how she will infuse the culinary experiences at W San Francisco with her passion and creativity.”

A Summa Cum Laude graduate formally trained in pastry at the prestigious Johnson & Wales University, Chef Dawn got her start in pastry at the award-winning, historic McCrady’s Restaurant in Charleston, South Carolina, worked as a freelance chef for Wolfgang Puck Catering, and was trained in every aspect of culinary at Marriott Marquis, where she held positions as banquet sous chef and senior sous chef.  Across her eclectic hospitality experience – from managing a Starbucks to catering VIP events for San Francisco hotels – Chef Dawn has demonstrated skills as a collaborative leader and creative visionary. When the former Courtyard San Francisco Downtown underwent a rebrand and renovation to open as The Clancy, joining Marriott International’s Autograph Collection Hotels, Chef Dawn took the fresh beginning as an opportunity to spearhead a holistic culinary vision. She carefully considers the culinary tools, techniques, and aesthetic that will deliver culinary experiences aligned with a brand.

“I feed off of collaboration, so the new menu development at W San Francisco will be a joint effort,” says Chef Dawn. “I want to pull in perspectives of the sous chef, culinary team, and front of house team, so the offering reflects W San Francisco and the people behind it.”

“With its bright and bold energy, W San Francisco has always been on my radar,” says Chef Dawn. “As someone who paints, sews, dances, raps, and creates innovative setups for banquet events, my personality aligns with W San Francisco’s passion points of design, music, and fashion that energizes and inspires guests. I couldn’t feel more at home here as the new executive chef.” 

An electric urban oasis located in the heart of San Francisco’s SoMa district, W San Francisco will afford Chef Dawn opportunities to elevate banquet events. She prides herself on not just considering how the food tastes, but also how it is presented, ensuring a group attending a multi-day event sees a different look each day.

“While typically nondescript, white plates are used for banquet occasions, I consider the limitless possibilities for delivering the unexpected in banquet environments,” says Chef Dawn. “I want people to come away with the sense that a unique story was told through the environment we created.”

 TRACE, W Hotel’s concept restaurant, focuses on delivering fresh, locally sourced cuisine, and celebrates the journey of following the origins of ingredients, from the farm to the table.

In addition to considering the traceability of ingredients, Chef Dawn is interested in tracing the history of dishes and mixing and matching influences from different cultures around the world.

“In enhancing dishes with global flavors, such as pairing chicken tenders with an Aji Amarillo sauce that is culturally appropriate to Peru, my goal is to honor, not imitate,” she said.

In addition to the cuisines of cultures around the world and the diverse influences reflected in San Francisco cuisine, Chef Dawn draws inspiration from her southern roots in creating new dishes. The culinary offerings at W San Francisco will also be shaped by seasonality and what is available in the local environs. Passionate about working with local purveyors like Bohemian Creamery in Sonoma County, Chef Dawn also plans to seek opportunities to work with up-and-coming female, immigrant chefs through local nonprofit organizations.

Empowering others to pursue their craft and providing a platform for emerging artists and entrepreneurs, W San Francisco is situated at the epicenter of technology, innovation, and vibrant culture, just steps away from San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and Yerba Buena Gardens.  In addition to delivering stylishly renovated guest rooms, W San Francisco is the proud host of an innovative women-led speaker series called WHAT SHE SAID, which originated at the hotel and is now hosted by W hotels worldwide to spotlight successful female leaders who are shaping the fashion, music, design, and technology fields.