October 16, 2018

Jef Foster has been appointed as Executive Chef at Hyatt Regency Bellevue

Seattle's Eastside, Washington, United States

Updated October 18, 2018

Hyatt Regency Bellevue, located on Seattle's Eastside, announced today a new member to its food and beverage team, Executive Chef Jef Foster. With nearly 30 years ofexperience in the industry, Foster will oversee the culinary program at the 732 room hotel with more than 70,000 square feet of meeting space, including event catering, staffing and quality control along with menu development and execution at Eques, the hotel's breakfast and brunch restaurant. At 18 years old, Foster experienced his defining moment, leading to what would become his extensive career. After graduating high school, his parents gifted him his first car and made clear it would be his responsibility to cover all expenses. To do so, Foster found a job as a dish washer, where he initially experienced the back-of-house fundamentals, including witnessing the perfectly synchronized kitchen line, expediting and fast-paced work environment, which immediately piqued his interest in exploring the industry further. Following, Foster held positions such as Assistant Chef de Partie, Chef de Saucier and Head Chef at restaurants including The Turnip Rose, Pelican Restaurants and Newport Beach TennisClub in Southern California. Foster then transitioned to working with Hyatt when he moved to Hyatt Regency Long Beach taking a position as the Chef de Cuisine and then continuing his career as Executive Sous Chef at Hyatt Regency Maui. In 2011, Foster's career went international when he moved to Executive Chef at Hyatt Regency Belgrade in Serbia, followed by Hyatt Regency London - The Churchill in 2013 and, most recently, at Grand Hyatt Mumbai in 2017. As a result of living in various parts of the world and experiencing culture through food over nearly a decade, Foster constantly experiments, implements and shares new ingredients, flavors and techniques with his team. Now in his role at Hyatt Regency Bellevue, he is charged with ensuring the hotel's food and beverage offerings are consistent for both event guests and guests to Eques as well as overseeing staffing, financials and maintaining the overall guest experience. When he's not in the kitchen, Foster enjoys spending time with his wife of more than 12 years, Christina, who he credits for his lifechanging move to Serbia, London, Mumbai and now Bellevue.

Food & Beverage USA & Canada United States Washington Seattle's Eastside