THE GOOD TASTE SERIES JUDGES PANEL — Photo by Hyatt
THE GOOD TASTE SERIES WINNER - CHRISTOPHE SCHELLER — Photo by Hyatt
THE GOOD TASTE SERIES CHEFS & MARK HOPLAMAZIAN — Photo by Hyatt

CHICAGO – Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) announced today the winner of the fifth-annual The Good Taste Series competition, a now-global culinary competition that celebrates Hyatt's culinary talent and global cuisine. Sous Chef Christophe Scheller of Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome was named the winner by a panel of judges comprised of respected food and hospitality industry leaders, including Hyatt President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Hoplamazian. The culinary competition took place on Thursday, March 1, 2018, at Grand Hyatt Playa del Carmen Resort in Mexico's Riviera Maya, and challenged six chefs on a global stage representing three regions: the Americas, EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa), and ASPAC (Asia Pacific). Since 2014, The Good Taste Series competition has recognized Hyatt's culinary talent in the Americas region, but now in its fifth year the competition has expanded globally.

"We are extremely proud of Chef Christophe Scheller from Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome, as well as all of our talented competitors, who proudly represented the superior culinary artistry of Hyatt hotels and resorts around the world," said Colleen Kareti, vice president, operations - Americas, Hyatt. "The Good Taste Series supports our efforts to create a world of understanding through cultural exchange and food. This annual competition, which has grown from a regional competition to a global stage, recognizes and further develops our culinary talent, while reinforcing Hyatt's commitment to food and beverage excellence."

The Good Taste Series global finals required the six competing chefs to prepare two dishes incorporating four out of five of the items from a mystery box that was revealed two days prior to the competition. The mystery items included: short rib, duck, red snapper, quinoa, and chilies. Each plate was judged on taste, presentation, technique and authenticity. These six global competitors were winners of their respective The Good Taste Series regional competitions held in the fourth quarter of 2017.

The six competing chefs were:

Americas:

  • Joaquin Estolano, Andaz West Hollywood
  • Hunter Keels, Hyatt Regency Atlanta

EMEA:

  • Christophe Scheller, Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome
  • Jonas Wuestner, Hyatt Regency Cologne

ASPAC:

  • Jack Jia, Park Hyatt Beijing
  • Tomoya Sugizaki, Park Hyatt Tokyo

At the global finals, Chef Hunter Keels from Hyatt Regency Atlanta was awarded the bronze medal, Chef Joaquin Estolano from Andaz West Hollywood received the silver medal and ultimately, Chef Christophe Scheller from Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome earned the gold medal and received a cash prize for winning the global competition.

The Good Taste Series further brings to life Hyatt's purpose to care for people so they can be their best, as well as the company's rich legacy of food and beverage excellence. For such an occasion, a respected panel of judges was assembled, including:

  • Mark Hoplamazian, President and Chief Executive Officer, Hyatt Hotels Corporation
  • Fabio Viviani, Restaurateur and Culinary Personality
  • Chef Helmut Holzer, Global Master Chef
  • Fabiana Santana, Culinary Journalist
  • Molly Tavoletti, Lifestyle Photographer
  • Nick Neves, Private Chef and Culinary Blogger

The Good Taste Series culinary challenge took place at Grand Hyatt Playa del Carmen Resort and brought together the six competing chefs, additional Hyatt chefs and culinary executives, local and international media, and the following corporate sponsors of the event: Hormel, PepsiCo, Ken's Foods, Sugar Foods, ATK Foods, Avendra, Ecolab, General Mills, and Oneida. Next year's global finals will be hosted in ASPAC.

For more information about Hyatt's global Food. Thoughtfully Sourced. Carefully Served. philosophy, visit: www.hyattfood.com.

The term "Hyatt" is used in this release for convenience to refer to Hyatt Hotels Corporation and/or one or more of its affiliates.

About Hyatt Hotels Corporation

Hyatt Hotels Corporation, headquartered in Chicago, is a leading global hospitality company guided by its purpose – to care for people so they can be their best. As of September 30, 2023, the Company's portfolio included more than 1,300 hotels and all-inclusive properties in 76 countries across six continents. The Company's offering includes brands in the Timeless Collection, including Park Hyatt®, Grand Hyatt®, Hyatt Regency®, Hyatt®, Hyatt Vacation Club®, Hyatt Place®, Hyatt House®, Hyatt Studios, and UrCove; the Boundless Collection, including Miraval®, Alila®, Andaz®, Thompson Hotels®, Dream® Hotels, Hyatt Centric®, and Caption by Hyatt®; the Independent Collection, including The Unbound Collection by Hyatt®, Destination by Hyatt®, and JdV by Hyatt®; and the Inclusive Collection, including Impression by Secrets, Hyatt Ziva®, Hyatt Zilara®, Zoëtry® Wellness & Spa Resorts, Secrets® Resorts & Spas, Breathless Resorts & Spas®, Dreams® Resorts & Spas, Hyatt Vivid Hotels & Resorts, Alua Hotels & Resorts®, and Sunscape® Resorts & Spas. Subsidiaries of the Company operate the World of Hyatt® loyalty program, ALG Vacations®, Mr & Mrs Smith™, Unlimited Vacation Club®, Amstar DMC destination management services, and Trisept Solutions® technology services. For more information, please visit www.hyatt.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Forward-Looking Statements in this press release, which are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as "may," "could," "expect," "intend," "plan," "seek," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential," "continue," "likely," "will," "would" and variations of these terms and similar expressions, or the negative of these terms or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable when made, are inherently uncertain, and are subject to numerous assumptions and uncertainties, many of which are outside of Kiraku, Inc. or Hyatt's control, which could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by such statements. Forward-looking statements made in this press release are made only as of the date of their initial publication and neither party undertakes an obligation to publicly update any of these forward-looking statements as actual events unfold, except to the extent required by applicable law. If one or more forward-looking statements is updated, no inference should be drawn that any additional updates will be made with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.