Richard A. Holtzman, vice president, managing director at Montage Kapalua Bay, has announced the appointment of David Viviano as the new executive ehef. An ambitious talent with experience spanning the past two decades, Viviano oversees all culinary operations at the oceanfront resort on the island of Maui, Hawaii, including menu creation and kitchen operations for Cane & Canoe, Sunset Patio and Hana Hou Bar, as well as for Mahana Market, In-Residence Dining and private dining.
"I am delighted to welcome Chef David to our Montage Kapalua Bay ohana," said Holtzman. "His extensive experience and background in the hospitality industry, as well as his passion for authentic Hawaiian cuisine, which he cultivated during his time on Kauai, will support our resort in its future successes."
Viviano comes to Montage Kapalua Bay from the St. Regis Aspen Resort & Spa in Colorado, where he was the "CheF&B." In that uniquely titled role, he oversaw all culinary operations of the resort, supervised a food & beverage team of 70-plus associates, and managed a multimillion dollar operation, leading to the second highest F&B profit margin in the hotel's history. He also devised a sustainability program that was composting 6,000 pounds per week - the highest in the area.
Prior to his appointment as "CheF&B," Viviano had been Executive Chef and oversaw the re-conception of the hotel's three-meal-a-day restaurant to traditional Italian. During Viviano's time at the property, he was featured in numerous local and national publications, including Wine Spectator, Hotel F&B Magazine, Food Arts, Nation's Restaurant News and Forbes, and won the Aspen Mac-n-Cheese Festival in 2014.
No stranger to the islands, Viviano fell in love with Hawaii and its rich heritage, gracious culture, as well as its distinct cuisine during his tenure as acting executive chef at Kauai's St. Regis Princeville in 2012. During his career, Viviano served as executive chef of The Westin Phoenix Downtown in Arizona, in addition to his three roles in his home state of Michigan including, executive sous chef at The Westin Book Cadillac, banquet chef at MGM Grand Detroit, and chef de cuisine at Ritz-Carlton Dearborn. In addition, Viviano has experience in high-end restaurants, including Jardinie`re in San Francisco, California, which earned rave reviews and a James Beard Award nomination while he was on staff as Roundsman.
Viviano has a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Besides the art and craft of culinary, Viviano's biggest passion is teaching and mentoring. When not hard at work in the kitchen - or on the laptop - Viviano enjoys cooking at home and traveling with his wife Christina and young son Dean.
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