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Our Executive Sous Chef Chris Voorhees hails from Pensacola, Florida. He was raised in his grandmother's kitchen, taking in the delicious sights and smells of fresh caught seafood he and his father had caught only hours before. Some of Chris’ earliest memories are of her explaining to him the secrets to great gumbo. "It’s all about the roux,” she’d say. Growing up on the Gulf Coast in such close proximity to the water instilled in him a passion and respect for fresh seafood, conservation and sustainability.
Like most chefs, Chris’ first job in a real kitchen was washing dishes, and he soon realized his goal was to earn a position on the line as a cook. In a few months he was promoted to helping the baker make breads, and his nights of water logged wrinkly fingers were over.
Shortly after, Chris moved to Scottsdale, Arizona to attend The Scottsdale Culinary Institute – Le Cordon Bleu and earned his first Sous Chef job at The Estancia Club, a prestigious members’ only country club in North Scottsdale. Upon completion of his culinary training he accepted a Chef Tournant position in Las Vegas working for Harrah’s at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in the hotels flagship restaurant: The Voodoo Café. He soon took over in the restaurant as Acting Room Chef and enjoyed success running the BOH operations. Happy in this position but ready to leave the desert behind, Chris eventually accepted an offer for his first Executive Chef position at The Buddha Bar Sushi Lounge on St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Chris lived and worked in the Caribbean for the next few years before deciding it was time to return to the real world and finally grow some roots. He joined our Contemporary Catering staff as Executive Sous Chef refreshed and eager to continue learning and sharing what he’s learned all over the world… Today he is influential in our menu design, working side-by-side with owner Nathaniel Neubauer to create fresh and new menu ideas... and still washes dishes when needed.
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