The Jekyll Island Club Resort welcomes three new members to its outstanding culinary team: Louis Marchena as Director of Food and Beverage, Michael Christner as Executive Chef and Jafet Tellez as Chef de Cuisine.
This historic Gilded Age resort, managed by Noble House Hotels & Resorts, sits on Jekyll Island in the heart of coastal Georgia’s captivating Golden Isles region. It features six restaurants and bars, chief among them the AAA Four Diamond-rated historic Grand Dining Room.
“We are delighted to welcome Louis, Chef Jafet and Chef Michael to the Jekyll Island Club Resort,” says Douglas Rucker, Area Managing Director. “The culinary team at the resort is second to none and we are extremely fortunate to have added such talent to our roster. Each brings with them boundless professionalism, knowledge, creativity, gusto as well as an appetite for excellence.”
Newly appointed Director of Food and Beverage, Louis Marchena most recently served as Executive Director of F&B for Mission Point Resort in Mackinac Island, MI. Christner comes to the Jekyll Island Club Resort from Lansdowne Resort in Leesburg, VA, where he served as Assistant Director of Culinary Operations. Chef de Cuisine Jafet Tellez brings years of global culinary experience, having received his Bachelors in Culinary Arts and Food Service Management from Universidad Anahuac in Mexico City.
With experience in club, restaurant and hotel management, Marchena brings a passion for exceptional guest and member service. As Director of Food and Beverage, he will develop a focused, long-term vision built around immediate strategic planning, program development, member engagement, and continuous hands-on staff and personnel training and development.
Executive Chef Christner is a skilled chef with 35 years of experience rooted in some of the Midwest’s most prestigious hospitality establishments. He has led kitchen staff and managed operations for events with as many as 10,000 guests. He studied at Baltimore International Culinary College.
In his new role at Jekyll Island Club Resort, Chef Christner will spearhead the next era of elevated culinary creativity for the Resort’s signature events, lounges and five restaurants, all the while paying homage to the Resort’s natural beauty and classic Southern flavors. As Executive Chef, Christner will oversee Jekyll Island Club Resort’s team of chefs, build new menus and manage kitchen operations.
As the new Chef de Cuisine, Jafet Tellez brings a love for nuanced Latin and Asian cooking as well as a deep passion for modern international cuisine rooted in tradition. Chef Tellez honed his craft working and managing some of the finest kitchens at luxury resorts in Hawaii, Abu Dhabi, and Little Torch Key, Fla. As Chef de Cuisine for Eighty Ocean Kitchen and Bar, he will strategize seasonal dishes and pairings and continue to forge partnerships with local businesses for fresh ingredients and local produce.
