Kimpton Hotel Fontenot, the 202-room hotel located in the heart of New Orleans’ Central Business District, announces today the appointment of Samuel Peery as executive chef. In his new role overseeing the hotel’s food and beverage program, Chef Peery will lead the kitchen and develop new and exciting menus for Hotel Fontenot’s restaurant and bar concepts, including the elevated and energetic cocktail lounge Peacock Room, neighborhood café Gospel Coffee and Boozy Treats, and a new concept coming early next year, along with expanded banquet and event catering service.
“I’m beyond thrilled to start the next phase of my career at Kimpton Hotel Fontenot,” says Chef Peery. “I think New Orleans is really going to love where our culinary program is headed. You are definitely going to want to keep your eyes on the property and what’s to come from our kitchen.”
Chef Peery brings over 15 years of diverse professional kitchen leadership and management to the position, where he’ll work alongside Restaurant and Bar General Manager Jessica Retif. Peery, an East Tennessee native whose cooking experiences have taken him around the country as well as Italy and France, has a deep appreciation for authenticity and terroir which lead him to taking great pride in product knowledge and sourcing. Chef Peery will draw inspiration and creativity from his vast cooking experiences in Modern American, Italian, French, Creole and Southern cuisines to introduce new permanent and seasonal menu items to delight patrons and further elevate the property’s culinary profile.
“We’re delighted to have Chef Peery join us. His extensive culinary discipline and leadership are really going to elevate our team across multiple concepts,” says Retif. “I’m eager to work alongside Chef as he curates new dishes and flavors while the property expands.”
Chef Peery joins Kimpton Hotel Fontenot from New Orleans fine-dining establishment Restaurant R’evolution in the Royal Sonesta Hotel, where he held the position of chef de cuisine and worked alongside renowned Cajun and Creole chef John Folse. In addition to being responsible for the restaurant’s reopening after an 8-month closure, Chef Peery oversaw all menu execution and kitchen operations as well as private tasting menus and wine dinners. Prior to Restaurant R’evolution, he worked as executive sous chef at Martis Camp, a very exclusive private resort community in Truckee, California, where he oversaw culinary operations for six restaurant outlets as well as banquet operations. He also used his expertise as a certified sommelier in partnerships with prestigious wineries, breweries and distilleries.
Chef Peery holds a Culinary Arts degree from Cook Street School of Fine Cooking in Denver, Colorado, as well as an Advanced Culinary Arts degree from the Accademia Italiana Della Cucina in Piedmont, Italy. Peery also earned a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Communications from East Tennessee State University.
In addition to a new fall menu, Peacock Room will be expanding its hours of operations, opening for breakfast Monday-Friday, in addition to the already-established brunch on Saturday and Sunday. Peacock Room’s dinner menu will continue to consist largely of elevated small plates with a culinary focus on refined shareable interpretations of regional and international classics, in addition to the contemporary selection of exceptional, hard-to-come-by spirits and evocative craft cocktails that have brought the bar many accolades. Also expect menu enhancements to come at the hotel’s neighborhood coffee hot spot, Gospel Coffee and Boozy Treats, where boozy shakes and coffee-infused cocktails mingle with food focused on breakfast and light eating-on-the-go.
