Francisco Crespo has been appointed executive chef for Rosewood Little Dix Bay, which will reopen in January 2020 following a four-year closure and comprehensive reimagination. In this role, Francisco will be responsible for providing strategic direction to the culinary team and overseeing the property’s four restaurants and bars.
Francisco joins Rosewood Little Dix Bay with over 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, having worked at top restaurants in Europe, Asia, the Caribbean and the Middle East. Most recently, Francisco served as executive sous chef at Rosewood Baha Mar, working across the resort’s four food and beverage venues through its 2018 opening. Previously, he held a number of critical roles at Rosewood Abu Dhabi, ranging from chef de cuisine at all-day dining restaurant Aqua and open-air bar Glo to chef in charge of Majlis Lobby Lounge, Hidden Bar and La Cava.
Prior to joining Rosewood Hotels & Resorts in 2014, Francisco held prestigious positions at several iconic culinary institutions including Michelin-starred restaurants Sant Pau in both Barcelona and Tokyo and Moments at Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona, as well as Spanish dining destinations Bar Cañate, Restaurant Café de Oriente and Restaurant Teatriz. He began his career in Madrid following the completion of his culinary schooling at Spain’s Centro Superior de Hostelería de Galicia. In addition to receiving a superior degree of cooking and multiple accolades from Centro Superior, Francisco’s formal schooling also featured summer apprenticeships, one of which took place at Michelin-starred restaurant Akelare in San Sebastián.
“It has been a pleasure to watch Francisco flourish as a leading culinary executive throughout his time at Rosewood and we are proud to put him at the helm of the culinary team at the highly-anticipated Rosewood Little Dix Bay,” says Andreas Pade, managing director of Rosewood Little Dix Bay. “We are confident that Francisco’s extensive experience, artful technique and innovative creativity will bolster the resort’s monumental reopening and cement its legacy as a top culinary destination, and we look forward to seeing what he has in store.”
